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The Dare	By : Tassanaburrfoot Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 82898 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 11
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Don't own any of the characters. Am not making a profit.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
Hermione had never been one to indulge in any sort of mind-numbing substance until she had begun dating Draco. The mere idea of drinking liquor hadn’t even crossed her mind until she caught Ron balls deep in Lavender Brown.

Her dilated eyes blinking up at the stars she saw in his bedroom as she lay naked atop his sheets of emerald satin. Arching her back, she wondered, briefly, how he managed to steal the stars from the sky and place them so perfectly within his bedroom. Sure Draco was a wizard, but was he really that talented.

“What are you thinking, princess?” she heard his soft, deep voice breathe as his fingertips tickled the skin of her breasts.

“That Draco is such a lovely name,” she mumbled absently. “So courageous and righteous and… noble. The dragon in the night sky protecting us all from the dangers of Morpheus’s sleep.”

She heard him chuckle and felt his warm lips upon her diaphragm. “I do believe you have had too much to drink,” he snickered.

She moaned beautiful as she turned her gaze to him and smiled. “I believe you might be correct, my dragon,” she replied. “Think I should have sobered up a bit before I drank that potion?”

He smirked as he brushed back her hair. “Probably, though something tells me that, had you been sober, you might have been a bit more resistant to drinking it,” he concluded. His brow furrowed in concern. “I hope you can forgive me? I just want to make sure that you’re safe.”

Something about the way he spoke was awfully funny to her and she smiled. “Honestly, Draco, had you approached me with it sober, I have no doubt that I would have refused. I am terribly stubborn about my own independence, aren’t I?” she questioned. “As such, you can probably expect me to be angry and unforgiving once this potion has worn off, but for now, I don’t mind so much.”

He threaded his fingers through her curls. “There is another potion you have to take. Or rather, one we have to take together,” he explained. “It requires a bit of our blood. Once we’ve drunk it, we have to have a moment of intimacy until we both climax and we take one another’s fluids into our bodies.”

“You mean we have to have sex,” she surmised. “That isn’t anything new for us, now is it?”

He seemed to seriously consider it for a moment before he shook his head. “We could have sex. I really want to have sex with you. However, for this, we should probably mutually pleasure each other through oral sex instead,” he suggested.

“Ooo,” she breathed. “I like it when you go down on me, and I like the taste of your cock. Mmmm.” She licked her lips and Draco had to stifle a groan. “I can already taste it, Draco.”

He chuckled to himself. “Perhaps we should wait until the morning. It wouldn’t be a good idea to draw blood before then anyway,” he stated.

She just shrugged. “Alright. Are you sure I can’t taste your cock?”

As he watched her, he couldn’t help but feel that he had overdone it on the booze. For some odd reason, he felt almost wrong at the idea of doing anything with her when she was so intoxicated. He didn’t even recall giving her that much. Frowning, he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.

“Hermione, my love,” he whispered, “I have to go somewhere for a moment. I hope you don’t mind.”

She looked at him worriedly. “Are you coming back?”

“Of course,” he promised her. “There’s just… something I need to ask my father real quick.”

She touched his face, cupping his cheek slightly before dropping her hand. “Alright. I’ll be here and then may I play with your cock?”

He hesitated for a moment as the head twitched at the sound of her begging. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and willed himself to be stronger for the moment. “When I get back,” he told her.

(II)(II)

Draco was used to traversing the halls of the Manor whilst wearing hardly a stitch of clothing aside from his house robe. Sometimes he didn’t even wear that. But on this night, with the Gryffindors and his friends sleeping soundly in their respective guest rooms, he tightened the belt of his robe and slipped on a pair of green house shoes before leaving. It did not take him long to reach his father’s study, having learned the shortcuts early on in life and he knew his father would be there.

He knocked on the door and waited. Hearing his father’s voice giving him permission to enter, Draco turned the handle and slithered inside. He nearly left the room once his eyes caught the scene before him. “Father?” he gasped in disbelief.

To Draco’s utter shock, Narcissa was bent over Lucius’s desk with her bare arse sticking up in the air. Armed with a paddle, Lucius hit her once more before the couple heard their son’s voice and looked up in unison. In that moment, Narcissa’s skin tone went from ghostly white to deep red. Lucius dropped the paddle and wrapped his own black silk house robes around himself.

“Draco? What are you doing out of bed, son?” the patriarch queried as he tied the belt around his waist.

But the boy was at a loss for words. He watched as his mother, his MOTHER, sank behind the desk as his father walked around it. “I…” he stuttered. “I’ll come back,” he said slowly, as he backed up to the door.

Lucius held out a hand. “No, please, do come in,” he said. “Your mother and I were just finishing up.” His brow furrowed in concern. “What is it, my boy? What troubles you?”

“Seeing my father spank my mother,” Draco replied with wide eyes. “That picture has been burned into my nightmares and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it… I…”

“Oh, Draco, do get ahold of yourself,” Narcissa scolded as she slowly stood up from behind the desk. She had managed to pull her own robes back on. “This is not the worst you’ve seen us do and I have no doubt you will introduce it to your own wife in time.”

Draco shook his head. “Yeah, but that’s different.”

“How so?” Lucius asked as he leaned against his desk and crossed one leg in front of the other.

The young wizard pointed at his parents accusingly. “You’re too old to be doing that. You…”

“Bite your tongue!” Narcissa admonished, looking at her son angrily.

“But you’re my mother!” he asserted, a bit of whine entering into his voice.

“Yes, and I will still hold that title until I am gone,” Narcissa agreed. “In the meantime, you will do well to remember who it is you’re speaking to. We may be your parents, but we aren’t dead.”

“I can see that,” Draco stated as he began to come out of his initial shock.

“What was it that you needed, son?” Lucius repeated.

The boy thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. “Right. I wanted to ask you about that potion,” he told his father. “It took me a bit of convincing and some liquor, but Hermione has consented and taken the potion.”

“What potion?” Narcissa asked, looking at her son and then her husband.

“You gave her alcohol?” Lucius questioned as his face fell.

The young wizard shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. “In all fairness, we were all drinking. Well, all of us aside from Loony Lovegood. Blaise and Theo also gave their girls the potions and now, they are taking care of the second part… most likely.”

“Most likely?” Lucius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Draco, you can’t mix that potion with alcohol, I specifically explained that to you.”

Taken aback and slightly worried, Draco asked, “What will it do?”

“Make them drunk, high, horny as hell? I’m surprised you managed to get away without Miss Granger attached to your waist,” the older man commented. “While that may not seem like a bad thing, there is a chance that the potion won’t take hold. You can’t do the second potion. Not until tomorrow when she’s had a chance to sleep the alcohol off. And you had better hope neither of your friends tried to do the second one yet.”

“Hold on,” Narcissa cut in, looking irritated. “What potion?”

“Draco and his friends are binding themselves to their witches,” Lucius explained to his wife.

The witch’s eyes widened in horror. “And you approved of this nonsense?!” she screeched at him. She whirled on her son. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? There’s a reason binding isn’t done anymore. Too many couples have lost their lives and left their children orphans because one of the parents died from some unnatural cause.”

Draco stood tall. “Good,” he answered. “I have no desire to live without Granger. She belongs to me and I to her.”

Narcissa groaned as she put a hand to her forehead and turned away from them. “Oh, you two are the biggest pair of idiots I’ve ever had the displeasure to know. And you’ve managed to drag Theodore and Blaise into this.”

“It’s hardly idiotic, love,” Lucius insisted.

She glanced at him. “You think so?” she countered. “Lucius, there are forces at work right now that are beyond our control. If the world was safer, I can understand doing this. I could even get behind it and consider it noble. But there is still a murderer out there,” she told him, waving a hand at the door. “Any moment this person can strike and kill someone connected to Miss Granger and, thereby, killing the other as well. More innocent lives can be lost because of this and there is nothing either you nor myself can do to prevent it.” Weary, she turned and sat upon the couch. “Draco, come here.”

He grimaced as he joined his mother on the couch, his mood darkening even more as she took his hands into her own. She said nothing for a moment as she ran her fingers over the backs of his hands. Glancing back up at him, she asked, “You said that she hasn’t taken the second potion yet, right?”

The teen nodded silently, watching her. He didn’t move when she reached up and cupped his cheek. She patted his cheek. “The spell isn’t complete until the two of you finish what you’ve started. Listen to me, my darling, idiotic child. Hold off on the second potion for now. At least until the air has cleared. She’ll still have the first potion in her system, even if she does her daily routine and months have passed. What’s more, she’ll be devoted to you and more willing to listen to your instruction without putting up a fight. After the murderer is found and the world is safe again, then you can give her the second potion.”

Draco glanced up at his father, who looked both irritated and concerned. Turning to his mother, the young Slytherin asked, “Have there been any leads? Any new information about this killer?”

Narcissa and Lucius looked at one another before the woman shook her head. “The Aurors keep running into the same problems. Whomever this person was, they were meticulous in the act. Aside from the bit of hair Miss Granger found, the scene was cleaned. They’ve begun questioning our house elves, but even there they are drawing short,” she told him.

“They’re pulling at strings,” Lucius added with a scoff. “Honestly, your betrothed and her friends could probably find this person before the Aurors do.”

Draco frowned. “Then perhaps giving Granger free reign to perform her own investigation is the way to go? If the Golden Trio can discover who had killed Daphne and bring them to justice, then that will exonerate you, Father,” he surmised.

“Except that neither of them are trained or licensed do investigate it,” Narcissa pointed out. “Which means that even if they find something or completely solve it, the entire case could be thrown out because the evidence was illegally obtained.”

Draco frowned as he sat back in his seat. So many thoughts and ideas were whirling around in his head, but one particular thought rested in the forefront of his mind. A decision that had been nagging at him ever since he had returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. “Father?” he asked. “Hypothetically, what would you do if the Dark Lord were to return a third time?”

The question had caught the man completely off guard and his eyebrows raised in surprise. “That won’t happen,” he said. “The Dark Lord is dead. I watched him die during the battle in the Ministry.”

“But what if he had somehow survived?” Draco pressed. “What if he had found a way around dying and just needed to reactivate a part of his soul to continue on?”

Narcissa pressed a hand to her lips in fear, her eyes wide and dilating. “What are you saying, darling?” she whispered.

Draco leaned forward and rubbed his face. “Father, do you remember a diary from years ago that you had snuck into Ginger’s cauldron?”

“I did no such thing!” Lucius denied crossly.

Draco raised an eyebrow and gave his mother a bored look. “You did,” he drawled. “You know it, I know it. Hell, Dumbledore and Potter even knew it. That’s how you ended up losing our house elf in the first place.”

“Potter had tricked me by giving me a book that didn’t belong to me…” the man started.

“Yes, he did. And you gave it to Dobby complete with the sock that Potter stuck between the pages,” Draco continued. “There’s no point in continuing to deny it. It’s done, it’s over. Ginger is safe and the castle is free of a basilisk that was set to murder everyone who wasn’t Pureblood. But that wasn’t my point in bringing it up. Do you know what it really was?” he inquired curiously.

For a moment, it looked as though Lucius was going to continue to deny any connection between him and that book. After a while, though, he sighed. “The Dark Lord had given it to me for safe keeping, but I didn’t quite care for it. There was this dark aura surrounding it and I worried over you finding it, or worse, the Aurors when they came to the Manor.”

“You had a right to worry,” Draco told him. “That diary was a horcrux, to be more exact, it was one of the Dark Lord’s horcruxes.”

“No!” Narcissa gasped, clutching her chest.

Draco studied his father as the range of emotions flitted through his features. Lucius had never been an expressive type person, preferring to hide his emotions, but in that moment, Draco experienced something he never thought he ever would: Shock, fear, worry, sadness, self-loathing, hatred, and even more fear ensnared Lucius. Clutching his heart, the older man, the patriarch Draco had always looked up to, faltered. He landed on his knees and doubled over in pain.

“You said ‘one of’,” Lucius muttered, staring unseeing at the carpeted floor. “How many are there?”

Draco shrugged. “Two have already been destroyed, including the diary, but altogether… seven,” he answered.

The Malfoy library was vast and Draco knew his father had read most of the books within. There wasn’t a doubt in Draco’s mind that, given how old his blood was, that his parents knew what horcruxes were and what the implications of having them were.

“Seven!” Narcissa breathed. Tears had filled his mother’s eyes, leaving Draco stunned.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Lucius stated as he scrambled to stand up and make it to the bin.

Draco grimaced as he listened to his father retch. Glancing at his mother sympathetically, he reached out and took her hand into his. He had never realized just how small and delicate her hands were, but in this moment, they were the most amazing things he had ever seen.

“Lucius, how could you?” Narcissa hissed as the man stood up and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

“I didn’t… I didn’t know, Cissy,” the man pleaded, looking at his wife. “You have to know that I had no idea. The Dark Lord never told me. He just ordered me to hold onto that blasted book until he requested it back. I…” His eyes lit up in horror. “I gave that book to the Weasley girl,” he realized.

“Lucky Potter likes to stick his nose in business that isn’t his,” Draco drawled. Everything that happened that year, the fears, the writings on the wall, the Muggle borns being Petrified… it all made sense when Dumbledore explained to Nott, Zabini, and me about the diary. What’s more, the old coot has an idea where the Dark Lord has hidden his other horcruxes, but finding them is turning out to be more difficult than he had originally predicted.”

“If the Dark Lord returns, then…”

“We’ll die,” Draco said without any hesitation. “Think about it, Father. Hermione is a Muggle born and she’s Potter’s best friend. Those are two strikes against her.”

“If we could convince her to join…”

“Lucius, you aren’t listening,” Narcissa hissed. “You’re not going to convince her to join the Dark Lord and, even if you had the chance to, I wouldn’t allow it. You saw how he reacted towards you when he returned. He doesn’t give a damn about this family. Never has. All he wants from us is our money and once he’s finished, we’re done for.”

“I doubt he even cares that we have money, Mother,” Draco commented. “And the fact that a Muggle born could be the heiress of one of the oldest, most powerful Slytherins in our history would be the greatest insult to him. The fact that you found her and didn’t kill her on sight would ensure our demise by his wand personally.”

Lucius looked away angrily. “Well, what would you have us do, then, son? The Dark Lord has more power than all of us put together. We can’t hide.”

“No, but we can defeat him,” Draco suggested. “Before his body reforms. We have to defeat him, Father. If we don’t, then he’ll kill us.”

“You speak very traitorous words, Draco,” his father said carefully.

Draco pointed his finger at his father. “What has he done for us? Honestly, Father? Nothing! All he cares about is his own agenda, which if my sources are correct, is to gain immortality and have the world at his feet. There is no ‘second-in-command’ in his desires. No joining of forces, no sharing. While I would normally admire that in a person, when the desire is to dominate the entire world and kill the woman I love and the only family I’ve always known, then my admiration goes out the window.”

“Who told you these things, son?” Lucius asked as his eyes narrowed.

The boy set his face in a scowl and folded his arms. “If you want to try to resurrect him, fine, but I own this Manor, the bank accounts, the other properties throughout Europe, the company, the lands… I own it all. You won’t get the monetary support to give to the Dark Lord and you lost the Prophecy, which was the one thing he wanted you to get in the Ministry. You failed your task, which means that you are a walking dead man,” he told his father. “So, you have a choice to make. You can either follow that megalomaniac to your death or, you can help me help Potter and his friends defeat him.”

“When did you become a hero?” Lucius questioned as he moved to sit in a chair.

Draco glared at the patriarch for a moment. “I have a wife I have to protect,” he admitted. “I’ve made a Vow to protect her.”

His mother stared at him with eyebrows raised. “What do you mean, darling?”

Draco told his parents about the Vow he had agreed to make before giving Hermione the potion. Neither of his parents said anything, just simply looked at him. Pinching her lips together, Narcissa glanced down at her hands. “Well,” she said softly. Her eyes met her son’s and she proclaimed, “I guess that means we have a Dark Lord to destroy.”

(III)(III)

Exhausted and irritated, Draco trudged back up to his rooms. He paused in the threshold of his sitting room, seeing Potter passed out on the couch. A month ago, hell a day ago, if he would have seen that, he would have done something, pulled a prank or scared the shit out of Scarhead for a laugh. But tonight… the blond closed his eyes and sighed. It was pointless and he was too tired to really give a shit.

He opened his bedroom door and entered, leaving Potter unscathed and relatively safe for now. He found Hermione lying across the bed, spread out and snoring. Her mouth hung open and drool had left a stream down the side of her chin. He frowned. Well, this was very attractive, he thought to himself. Crossing over to her, he gently moved her around on the bed, amazed that she didn’t wake.

He stripped down and climbed into the bed. “Shit,” he muttered as he buried himself under the covers. He wasn’t even in the mood for sex! When was the last time he wasn’t in the mood for sex?

He stared at his snoring angel and sighed again. He felt his heavy eyes begin to droop, though he wondered if he’d ever get any sleep. That answer was confirmed as he drifted off into the darkness of slumber.

(IV)(IV)

Lucius had forgotten about the activities he and his wife were doing before his son had entered the study. Walking over to a file cabinet that was deceptively hidden from the casual onlooker, he opened the second drawer and began digging through the files.

“There are going to have to be a lot of changes,” Narcissa was saying as she rested against the couch. “If we’re going to be part of this ridiculous manhunt that Draco is suggesting, we’ll need to put aside some of our more devious activities, at least until the deed is done.”

He pulled out a file and sat at his desk, flipping through the file in question. “I highly doubt Draco was suggesting we go on a manhunt, Cissy,” he stated. “If the Dark Lord is returning, however, we need to prepare ourselves in the best ways possible. Draco is too hasty in renouncing our Lord without thinking about the consequences of such an action. While I don’t fancy the possibility of being thrown back into serving the despot, we must proceed with caution.”

The woman frowned. “Lucius, don’t you get it? Draco can, and will, take everything away from you…?”

“I have the Dark Mark on my arm, Narcissa!” he snapped, standing up and pulling up his sleeve to show her. “Or have you forgotten? Even if I follow Draco, which I know is quite possibly the only option I have, I can’t do so without the Dark Lord finding me and branding our family traitorous. That foolish child isn’t thinking of what will happen. When the Dark Lord returns, and believe me, my love, he will return a third time, I have his brand on my arm and he can and will find me. And then everything we’ve worked so hard to build will be gone. This Manor, our homes in Paris and Athens… All gone. He will kill Draco the moment he finds out that the boy is practically married to the Mudblood best friend of Potter’s and then he’ll hunt her down and kill her as well, especially if she conceives a child between now and then. It will be a rendition of the old days when he would destroy entire families, bloodline and all. The Malfoys will become a myth.”

He threw the file onto his desk and sat back in his chair, rubbing his brow. “Draco doesn’t understand,” the man mumbled with his eyes closed. “Working to destroy the Dark Lord isn’t going to be as easy for me. Karkaroff is dead because he didn’t want to be a Death Eater anymore, or have you forgotten? We don’t even know when he’ll be coming back, which is even scarier. We have the blood of an innocent girl tainting our son’s room, a Muggle born who will soon be part of our family, Muggle ‘in-laws’ who will be joining us tomorrow to celebrate our son’s union with their daughter, and by Sunday evening, every person, every friend we know will either be jealous or hating us.”

“So, Floo Snape,” she replied. “You wanted him to come to the banquet anyway. If there is any person we can trust, it’s him.”

“The Dark Lord trusts him as well,” he pointed out.

“Snape would never betray us,” she assured, certain of her words. “He’s been our friend ever since that day I comforted him on the stair in Hogwarts when we were children.”

“We aren’t children anymore, Narcissa,” he told her.

She stood up and crossed the room. Taking the quill off of his desk, she snatched the bit of parchment he had in his free hand and, looking over it to make sure it was blank, she scribbled a note to Snape. “I’m still inviting him.”

“You already send him an invitation, remember?” he claimed. “And he sent us his decline as well, stated, quite explicitly I might add, that he wasn’t interested in being part of the spectacle that will come from this banquet.”

“Then Floo him!” she snarled. “He’s your friend, Lucius. If you inform him that more is going to be happening that night, including the revelation of things, he’ll come. Tell him that you need him to be here. Tell him that your wife is specifically asking for him to be here.” She slapped a hand on his desk. “This is your responsibility, Lucius. Your family. Your duty. Get him here. Get an audience with Dumbledore and do what you can to help your son.”

There were tears in her eyes and he lifted a hand to cup her cheek. “It’s late, love,” he told her. “But in the morning…”

“Severus rarely ever sleeps. You know this. He’s awake,” she countered desperately. “Call him now.”

Lucius was reluctant to make the call, but he knew how important it was to her. Sighing, he shook his head and slowly stood up, his knees popping as he did so. Pausing a moment to steady himself, he walked to the Floo.

(V)(V)

“Mum! Dad!” Hermione shouted as she sprinted down the stairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger dropped their bags just in time for the girl to throw her arms around them. Her father hugged her tightly. “Hello, princess,” he greeted with a huge smile on his face.

Pulling away from them, the Muggle born beamed. “I am so happy to see both of you. Oh, I have loads to tell you!” she said. “After Mr. Malfoy learned that Draco and I were dating, he started looking into our family bloodlines, cause, well, Purebloods, especially the older families like the Malfoys, actually care about where we come from, and you’ll never get this: We’re actually directly descended from Merlin himself! Can you believe that?”

Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter as Mr. Granger chuckled. “Where on earth did you get this information from?” he asked. “Sweetheart, you do know that Merlin is a fictional character, right?”

Hermione shook her head. “So are witches and wizards to most Muggles,” she pointed out. “But he’s not fictional, Daddy, at least no more fictional than a unicorn, and the Malfoys own one of those.”

“Two,” Draco corrected as he approached the family. “And the mare is currently pregnant, so…”

“Oh, Draco,” Mrs. Granger gushed. “How lovely it is to see you again!” The older woman opened her arms to him and they hugged. Patting his shoulder, she cupped his chin with her free hand, “Doing well in school, yes? Did you get the gift I sent you?”

The smile Draco had plastered on his face faltered. “Gift?” he asked. “I am doing well in school, but I don’t recall receiving a gift, except during Christmas.”

“Well? Did you open it?” the lady asked with a smile.

Draco’s frown deepened as he tried to remember. He glanced at Hermione, whose eyes had widened. Surprise was slowly writing itself on his face as realization dawned on him. “You know, I don’t think I have,” he replied. “My mind was going in so many directions at once and…”

“Do you mean to tell me that there is a present that was given to you that you haven’t opened, Draco?” his mother asked him as she and her husband entered the foyer as well.

The young Slytherin blinked in his own momentary shock as the Muggles looked at his parents with curiosity. “You must be Miss Granger’s parents,” the older witch greeted with a soft smile of her own. “It is such a pleasure to finally meet you both, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Yes,” Hermione’s father answered, looking at his wife uncertainly. “This is my wife, Jean, and I’m Richard Granger.”

Lucius stood with an aristocratic air and a tight smile. “It is a pleasure,” he echoed his wife. Holding out his hand, he added, “I am Lucius Malfoy and this is my wife, Narcissa.”

The Muggle man accepted Lucius’s hand and they shook. “Lucius Malfoy? I think I recall hearing about you a time or two. Might have even seen you once,” he said as they broke their handshake. He looked at his wife. “Though it was years ago. In… Oh, what was the name of that place again?” His eyes went to his daughter. “The place where we bought your magic books years ago?”

Hermione nodded. “Flourish and Blotts,” she answered, glancing at Lucius’s shocked expression. “In Diagon Alley.”

Richard snapped his fingers. “That’s right,” he said with a grin. He looked back at Lucius, who was only slightly taller than him. “You were a bit shocked, I believe, to see Arthur Weasley talking to us. Made a mention of it and I believe you insulted him and the two of you threw a few punches at one another. Bit of a turnaround now that your son is dating our daughter, right?” The Muggle chuckled as Hermione blushed.

For his part, Lucius’s face remained expressionless. “Yes, it is,” he answered surprisingly calmly. “Children have a way of helping us to see things in a whole new perspective, do they not?”

For her part, Narcissa stared at her husband. “You fought Arthur Weasley in a bookstore? Really, Lucius!” she hissed.

“It was years ago, Mrs. Malfoy,” Hermione reasoned.

“Still not an excuse,” the Pureblood stated with a wave of her hand.

Lucius shot his wife a quelling look. “Had I known our son would be dating Miss Granger, I might have been a bit more compassionate,” he drawled through clenched teeth. “However, you know how well that man and I get along. To assume that we…”

“Mr. Granger?” came Harry’s voice from atop the stairs, interrupting whatever Lucius was about to say.

“Oh, goodness me,” Narcissa breathed as Harry and Ginny entered the foyer with Theo and Luna in tow. “We should probably show you to the rooms you’ll be staying in so the two of you can get settled. Hermione, would you like to come along, darling?”

The Muggle born smiled, glad for the change of subject. She remembered that day well and hated the idea of reliving it, but she also knew her father and so wasn’t surprised when he said, “Oh, look, Lucius, here’s one of Arthur’s children now! Ginny, what a pleasure and surprise it is to see you again!”

Ginny gave him an uncertain smile as she glanced at her confused boyfriend and the small group who looked both agitated and embarrassed. She gave Mrs. Granger a hug and looked warily at Mr. Granger as he threw an arm around her. Harry, for his part, greeting the two Muggles, but did not take his eyes off of the Malfoys, weighing their reactions.

Lucius’s expression darkened, but he still managed not to rise to the bait that Richard had freely thrown. However, he did say, “Yes, Narcissa, love, perhaps showing them to their sleeping quarters will be good. Give them a chance to settle and freshen up a bit before supper.”

Jean glared at her husband. “Thank you, Narcissa. Lucius,” she said, lifting up her bag, but Draco stopped her.

Placing his hand on her bag, the blond Slytherin offered, “Here, Mrs. Granger, allow me to take that. I know how bumpy those carriage rides can be. How was your trip here?”

The woman gave him a stunning smile as she handed over her bags. “Oh, what a courteous young man you’ve raised, Mrs. Malfoy,” she commented as she threw Narcissa a look. “He must have learned his mannerisms from you.”

Pointedly ignoring her husband, Narcissa nodded. “Yes, though he slips from time to time, much like his father, I have done my best to teach him decorum and respect,” she told the woman. “And, please, I insist on you calling me Cissy.”

The two women linked arms together as the witch led the Muggle up the stairs and towards the suite she shared with her husband. Hermione glared at Lucius and Richard, but hefted up her father’s suitcase and followed her betrothed as he went up the stairs as well.

(VI)(VI)

“You don’t think your father would do anything horrible to my parents, do you?” Hermione asked in concern as she lay upon the bed that night and watched Draco undress.

He shot her an incredulous look. “Why would you think that?” he questioned in return. “He has nothing to gain by doing anything to them.”

She sighed as she looked away. “I just… I could see that he and my father didn’t get on very well. And tonight at supper… I know my father can be a bit uncouth, but,” she looked at him. “He’s my father and he’s only so passionate because he still sees me as his little girl. He’s worried about all this talk of us getting married and me inheriting a large sum of money and… Neither of my parents really came from well off families. Mind, I’ve never wanted for anything but that was more because they worked hard for every penny they ever had. Neither of my parents had really inherited anything of great value from their parents, and certainly not a fortune.”

With his trousers being held up by his hips, Draco crossed the room and took her hand into his. “They will be alright,” he assured her. “Father isn’t going to do anything stupid. Besides, Mother wouldn’t allow it. If he even so much as looks funny at your father, she’ll call him out on it. I promise you they are safe.”

(VII)(VII)

Hermione still hadn’t told her parents of her engagement to Draco. Even worse, she hadn’t mentioned that she would be marrying him shortly after she graduated. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to imagine what her wedding day would be like. She knew her gown would be beautiful and that she would be happy.

She was happy. She was Hermione Jean Granger. She was a Gryffindor and went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was the brightest witch in her generation. She was the best friend of Harry James Potter and the brains of the Golden Trio. She was the girlfriend of Draco Lucius Malfoy.

She shook her head. No. She was the fiancée of Draco Malfoy. She was going to marry Draco Malfoy. She was the heiress of Merlin.

She could feel the anxiety she typically felt before taking an exam. She loved taking exams, but this was different. There were no real right or wrong answers. A single mistake could ruin everything before she even had a chance to stop it. This wasn’t Hogwarts anymore. Not right now. Not in this Manor full of people she either didn’t know or barely knew.

“Nervous?” said a voice she hadn’t been expecting.

She spun around and brandishing her wand and pointing it at the red headed boy. She stopped once she realized who it was. “Ron!” she cried, rushing to him and throwing her arms around his neck. “Oh, God! What are you doing here?”

He shrugged as she pulled away from him and stared at him in surprise. “Malfoy Flooed me this morning,” he explained. “Said you could use my support.”

Hermione beamed. Hearing Draco clearing his throat from behind Ron, she looked past the ginger and gave her fiancé a warm smile. Turning back to Ron, she asked, “You’ll be here for the banquet?”

He nodded. “Lavender and me both,” he told her. “I should warn you, though, she’s been eating about everything in sight.”

“At least she has mannerisms when she eats,” Draco commented. “I’m going to get enough flak from my father as it is, Weasley. Don’t make me regret inviting you by forgetting your manners and how to use a fork and spoon properly.”

Ron just rolled his eyes. “Did you bring me here to start a fight, Malfoy? Or to show Hermione some support as the two of you go through this banquet tonight?”

Hermione patted the ginger’s arm. “It’ll be alright, Ron. Just remember that this isn’t school and you don’t have to fight with your brothers over the last drumstick and you should be fine.”

“We’re not going to have drumsticks tonight, Granger,” Draco pointed out lazily as he crossed the room to her.

“There. See?” she said with a shrug. “There’s nothing to worry about then.”

Draco looked uncertainly from Hermione to Ron and back again. Dipping his head, he mumbled in her ear, “I haven’t told Father that I’ve invited him yet.”

She slapped him on the arm. “I can’t believe you did that!” she squeaked. “You had better let him know. I doubt he would care much for the surprise.”

He raised a cool eyebrow. “And I will,” he said. “There’s no reason to get stressed out over it.” He looked at Ron. “You were supposed to calm her down, Weasley. What did you do?”

The ginger wizard glared at him. “She was calm until you came in here and opened up your stupid trap,” he retorted. “What the bloody hell did you tell her just now?”

At the sound of her brother’s voice, Ginny stepped into the room. “Ron? What are you doing here?”

He threw his hands up in the air. “What is this? I can’t even go somewhere without everyone asking me why I’m there? I was invited, wasn’t I? Same as you, Ginny. Only I was more last minute.”

“And now I’m beginning to regret my decision,” Draco said dryly.

“Ron?” Harry said as, he too, came into the room.

“Merlin’s beard!” Draco growling. “Alright, princess, I’m going to go and see if my father needs any help before I lose my mind with all these Gryffindors. And I hope you know that this right here?” he waved a hand indicating her friends. “This is the most Gryffindors I’ve ever had in my home. So, I hope you enjoy it.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead and rubbed her arm. “I’ll be back later. Try not to leave the suite and, if you would like to go somewhere, just send me a message so I can come and get you.”

“How do I do that?” she asked.

He frowned. “You’re the brightest witch of our age and you can’t figure out how to send me a message?” he countered, the glint of a challenge in his eyes.

“She doesn’t need your permission to leave this room, Malfoy,” Ron snarled angrily.

“No, she doesn’t,” Draco agreed, which threw the ginger off. “However, this Manor is magicked to deal with people who aren’t blood family and don’t have a magical link to it. Both Blaise and Theo have been given access to the Manor, but Hermione hasn’t been here long enough for it to recognize her yet. So, this suite is the only guaranteed safe place for any of you and this isn’t Hogwarts.”

Hermione touched his arm. “All you’re doing is giving them a reason to go explore,” she told him. “And I’ll be stuck chasing after them to make sure they don’t hurt themselves in the process.”

“Oi! We’re not that bad. I’ll have you know, we’ve done several dangerous things in the past without you,” Ron retorted indignantly. “Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean we don’t have our own sets of skills.”

Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing to the wizard. He looked at his betrothed. “Just try to stay in here, alright?” he pressed, his eyes filled with concern.

She pinched her lips together, glaring at Ron. “I’ll do my best,” she promised him.

(VIII)(VIII)

Draco was leaning against the wall, his head tilted back as he blew out a ring of smoke. He seriously needed to stop smoking these things, but he had realized that they were rather addicting. The way the nicotine filled him up was soothing and with a manor full of Gryffindors, he needed the calming effects.

“Think of it this way, Drake,” Theo said as he took a puff of his own cigarette. “At least he’s not staying the night.”

Draco gave him a horrified look. “I might have to convince him to explore the Manor if he did,” he growled. “At least that would be one less pain in my arse.”

“Except that Brown would be without a mate, which would make Hermione feel guilty even more than she already does, and before you know it, Brown would end up staying with you lot in Hermione’s castle. Forever,” Blaise reasoned. He licked his lips. “Unless you like the idea of having two women. Maybe the Vow doesn’t count if Hermione is in on it too and you’re both partaking…”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Draco said in disgust. “You’ll make me lose my lunch.”

“It’s not a joke,” the dark skinned boy told him. “As much as I hate to admit it, at this juncture, you really don’t want anything to happen to the Weasel. Not while Granger’s still on her crusade to help Brown.”

“Did she ever tell Brown that she lied about the abortion?” Theo wondered aloud.

The pale skinned wizard shook his head. “I think at one point she was going to,” he admitted, “but she stopped when the little bint started going on about baby furniture and toys. I think she sees it as a moot point by now anyway. Brown’s too far along.”

Theo frowned a bit. “Well, if the girl was stupid enough to believe her, I guess the fault rest on her shoulders, really. Not Hermione’s.”

“Doesn’t mean she’s not going to blame herself,” Draco muttered. “Especially if something should go awry.”

Blaise smirked. “So, you’re still stuck caring for the bird then.”

Both boys chuckled as Draco glared at them sour-faced. “So, Uncle Drakey, ready for Christmases spent with a bunch of Gryffindors? Maybe they’ll get you to dress up as ole Saint Nick like your dad used to do for us,” Nott teased.

“I will murder you in your sleep if you ever say that again, Nott,” the blond threatened, bristling.

That only made the two laugh harder as Draco glowered. “So, did you complete the binding yet?” Blaise asked as he calmed down.

Annoyed, Draco looked away. “No,” he answered truthfully. “She went mental on me and I foolishly sought out my father for advice.”

“Well, he was the one to suggest it to begin with,” Theo conceded.

The younger Slytherin nodded. “And it would have been fine, only my mother happened to be there and she went bonkers on me. It was a mistake to give the girls alcohol and the potion. Also, Mother doesn’t reckon we should give them the second potion or fully bind with them until the murderer has been caught, though now that they know about the Dark Lord’s imminent return…”

“Hang on,” Blaise interrupted, holding up a hand. “First you tell us to give them the potion and now you’re telling us not to?”

“Why would you tell your father that the Dark Lord might be coming back?” Theo asked curiously. “You know he’s going to want to rejoin the tyrant.”

Draco squared his jaw. “When have I had a chance to tell you about the potion, Blaise? And, yes, I told my father about the Dark Lord. He would have found out anyway. At least now, I can actually control which route he takes and he’s not going to rejoin him,” he answered, looking perturbed.

“Draco,” Blaise started, but the blond shook his head.

“I have it under control, mate,” he assured them, taking another drag from his cigarette. “As for the potion, you both told me that you weren’t going to give your girls the second one until Sunday night, right? So we hold off on it a bit longer. It isn’t that big of a deal.”

The dark skinned Slytherin pinched the bridge of his nose. “The second potion is almost complete, Draco,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ve already told my wife about it and she is eager to partake.”

Draco shrugged. “So, you give it to her after everything else is done,” he reasoned. “I mean, you didn’t tell her when it was going to be ready, did you? It should be fine.”

Blaise glared at his best friend. “There are some days where I could just ring your scrawny little neck, knobhead. I hope you know that,” he replied evenly.

The blond wrinkled his nose as he blew out the last of his cigarette and tossed the butt on the ground. “And there are times I could hex your balls off,” he countered. “So, we’re even.”

“So, what was the reason you gave Hermione for coming out here anyway?” Theodore asked as he stamped out his own cigarette.

As the two older boys cast the necessary spells to get rid of any trace that the three had been smoking, Draco answered, “That I needed to see my father about something, which coincidentally, I do. So I will have to catch you two later. I invited the Weasel to the banquet tonight, so that should be a pain in my right butt cheek. They’re in the suite right now.”

Blaise and Theo looked at one another. “Hopefully,” they both said at the same time.

(IX)(IX)

Lucius stared at the young girl sitting primly in the chair across from him. Self-discipline prevented him from reaching under the desk to adjust himself. Instead he rested his elbows atop the desk, lacing his fingers in front of him. God, she looked delicious, though not as much as the girl who had been plaguing his fantasies for months now.

“I haven’t had any petitions for your hand as of yet, Miss Greengrass,” he told her. “However, you are still rather young, so I doubt I’ll see anything at least for another year or two.”

She took a deep breath, her petite breasts rising and falling in time. “And Daphne’s killer?” she inquired.

“Undiscovered,” he replied and he watched as she withered at the information. “However, I do believe my son and his betrothed are working on learning the truth, so there isn’t much to fear in that regard.”

“Your son?” she repeated. A sneer crept on her face. “Your son is the reason why she’s dead! Him and his little Mudblood whore!”

Dropping his hands, he raised an eyebrow. “I hardly doubt Miss Granger could be dubbed as a whore,” he said, though he really wished it otherwise. “And if I recall, neither of them were anywhere near your sister when she died. In fact, just like the rest of us who were there that night, they weren’t even aware of her death until the following morning.”

She pouted as she folded her arms in front of her. “I want to see that bitch suffer,” she spat. “She’s lying to Draco about her supposed heritage and wealth and I know she had a hand in my sister’s death. All this talk about her trying to help find the killer is a load of bullshit. I honestly think she gave Draco a love potion and is keeping him on it.”

“Perhaps,” he verbally agreed. He could feel his interest in her waning, but he kept in mind that it wasn’t her voice that interested him much anyway. “However, given that I went with her to St. Mungo’s and personally saw her tested, I highly doubt she’s being deceptive about her heritage. And after what I witnessed through the Pensieve barely two days ago, I can assure you that she is not responsible for Daphne’s death.”

Astoria snapped her mouth shut. “She still could have helped plan it,” she said moodily. “Just because she may not have actually killed her personally, doesn’t mean she isn’t responsible. She could’ve gotten someone else to do it for her, like Pothead or someone.”

He tilted his head curiously. “Why are you so determined to make Miss Granger into a villain?” he asked.

“Because she is!” she shouted. “She stole Draco from me!”

“She never stole me from you,” Draco said from the threshold of his father’s study. His eyes were dark as he prowled into the room. He hadn’t been exactly thrilled at the idea of visiting his father, but now he was downright pissed upon hearing the accusations the bitch was tossing towards his wife. “You never even had a chance with me.”

Astoria stared at him like a deer in headlights. Her pale skin turned, if possible, even paler as she stood up and backed away from the irate wizard. “My father and your father…”

Lucius had stood as well and slipped from behind the desk to stand beside her. “I was going to owl Eugene the day Draco had contacted me to inform me that, under no circumstances would he accept a marriage to you, Miss Greengrass,” Lucius told her. “Although, I must admit I wasn’t exactly interested in uniting our families in such a way anyway. Eugene and I have been friends since Hogwarts, but I simply cannot condone my son marrying someone below his status.”

“Hermione Granger is below his status!” she shouted heatedly as she tried to step away from the two Malfoys.

Draco grabbed her by the collar, picked her up, and threw her onto the desk. “You will watch your tongue, tramp!” he snarled. “Granger is ten times the woman you will ever be.” When she scrambled to get up, he pulled out his wand and jammed it into her throat. Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her back up so they were face to face. “You listen and you listen well, slag,” he said dangerously calm, though he spat out the name for her. “From the moment I saw Granger on the train in our first year, I had my eyes set on her. You were nothing but skinned knees and freckles. You want to say she’s below my status? She’s the fucking heiress of Merlin! She’s the brightest witch of our age, she makes the highest grades in my year. She’s helped defeat the Dark Lord and she’ll find your sister’s killer.”

“Let go of me,” the girl whimpered as tears streamed unchecked from her eyes. “Please. I… I promise I’ll be good… Please… I… I’m sorry…”

“No, you’re not,” Draco growled. “But you will be.” As he released her, he tossed her roughly back onto the desk. Glaring at her, he said, “She’s fifteen now, Father. Don’t you think she’s old enough to be someone’s playmate?”

Lucius stared at her hungrily, thinking over the fun he could have with her during the after party later that night. It was so tempting, but, “She’s still too young, Son. Aside from that, it wouldn’t be appropriate or proper.”

“You’ve had sex with her how many times now and you want to talk to me about what’s appropriate or proper?” Draco snarled.

Lucius stood tall as he glared down at his son. “Do not test me, boy,” he said. Though his voice was quiet, there was enough darkness in his tone that Draco actually felt chills as he felt the blood leave his face. “You’ve been given a hell of a lot of leeway since you’ve become the Head of House. Far too much. You forget, boy, who I am and what I have done. Don’t make the mistake in thinking that I have gone soft suddenly.” He glanced at the girl who was shrinking to the ground, cowering in fear. “She’s too young for the after party.” His steel eyes went back to his son’s, meeting them. “Now, unless you wish to join us in a ménage à trois, you had better tell me the reason for you being in my study at this hour. You have a banquet to get ready for and it would be unbecoming for you to be late.”

Draco clenched his teeth, biting back the remark that was on the tip of his tongue. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Hermione has been having anxiety over this event. I believe she is nervous of how she will be received. As such, I took the liberty of inviting Ronald Weasley and his betrothed to the banquet. They will not be staying the night, however, they will otherwise be present this evening. The Weasel is currently upstairs in my suite speaking with Potter.”

Not a word was said as the two teenagers awaited Lucius’s response. The fact that not even a hint of his thoughts or feelings on the subject crossed his face gave Draco an adolescent fear that he hadn’t known since the days he ran around the Manor with his father’s cigars. Draco mimicked his father’s stance, refusing to show his fear in the face of the older man’s anger. “It is my right as the Head of the Estate to invite whomever I wish and given that he is one of my wife’s best friends and we will be announcing our coming wedding this evening, he has a right to be here, despite what you or I believe or wish.”

“You need to return to your suite and get ready for this evening,” Lucius replied quietly. “If you are late, I might just let slip how old you were when you finally stopped sleeping with that damn security blanket.”

Draco’s eyes narrowed. “What am I? Twelve? Think I’m worried about what some people might think about a ragged old blanket?” he drawled.

“The Minister of Magic will be present tonight,” Lucius continued. “As will reporters from the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. I know more about you than any other person here. More importantly,” he took a step closer to Draco and lowered his voice, “I know what really happened that night and I know that you are still puffing away on those cigarettes. Somehow, I don’t think Miss Granger will be happy to learn of either of those things.”

Astoria looked from father to son, not understanding what they were talking about as they stared one another down. She glanced around, spotting the window to the far right of her. Had that window always been there? She let herself slip down onto the floor, but as she began to walk towards the window, a hand grabbed her arm. With a gasp, she turned to find Lucius holding her while he was still looking at his son.

“Tick, tock, Draco,” the patriarch taunted. “You really wouldn’t want to be late.”

With a huff, the teenaged wizard spun on his heel and stomped out of the study, purposefully leaving the door wide opened. Lucius rolled his eyes as he took out his wand and cast the spell to shut the door and lock it. “So mature,” he muttered sarcastically. He let his eyes fall back on the girl whom he still held on to. “Now, my pet. Where were we?”
Author's Note: After much consideration, I have decided that I will not be adding a Lucius/Astoria sex scene in this story. For me, it is bad enough with the implications and I really don't want to push my limits. Aside from that, I have been posting this story on FF and I really don't want to censor it for my readers. However, I may do an outtake at some point, so we'll watch and see what happens there. :)
ParisJada: I really hope you're still enjoying it! :) There's more to come
Sheedy: Why, thank you! I'm beginning to like this Draco as well.
Schoolteacher623: Yeah, it's going to get even better. Imagine the fall out that would/will take place if/when Draco learns of his father's not-so-innocent thoughts. >_<
Victoria: It is definitely a mixture of both. There is no doubt, or there shouldn't be, that he loves Hermione, but think about who he has as role-models. Hehe. However, the upcoming chapters are going to become even more interesting as it goes on. Thinking I might throw some other things in there, too. Still debating. (Theo/Luna binding scene anyone?)

Please don't forget to review. I really do love to read what you guys think! Y'all are my inspiration to continue writing and I love you all!
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The Dare