Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Tit for Tat	By : PulchritudinousPain Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 17003 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own The Harry Potter series, nor the characters from it. All characters belong to JK Rowling. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5 – Attendance is Imperative

“Granger, I want you.”
He opened the door to her in an echo of the time she had come begging at his door and she looked no better for wear that night.
“Urgh, god, no. That simply won’t do,” he groaned. “You’re attending a ball with me tonight, Granger, and that standard of dress is sub par. In here you’ll find everything you need. If you need something that isn’t in there let me know and I’ll have the house elf whipped.”
“What? No. Don’t do that!”
“It was a joke, Granger, lighten up.”
“I find it hard to be light around someone as dark as you, Malfoy,” she bit.
“I have a remedy for that, Granger. I can’t have your mouth running away with you tonight in front of some important members of wizarding society. You’re to be my arm candy, my bit of fluff. You’re going to smile and look pretty and that is all.”
“I’ll attend with you and I’ll do my best to dress to your standards but I can’t promise I won’t say what I think,” she said, too honestly for her own good.
“I can,” Malfoy growled. “You forget who you talk to, Granger. Imperio. Now get yourself looking fetching, quickly. We leave on the hour.”
Malfoy fiddled with his cufflinks. Stupid woman, if she’d just do as she was told without her sass he wouldn’t be forced to put her in her place. He didn’t like using curses on witches but tonight was important. He needed to put his face out there as something more than a Death Eater with cash. He needed to show people he had changed and could be trusted around those of mixed parentage and fuck it all if Granger hadn’t just proven the opposite. She was important to this plan. The Ministry for Magic had done so many backflips over blood status it was almost impossible to remain aligned with them from year to year, which made it difficult to remain high on the social ladder. The Malfoy family was now on the bottom rung, thanks to the wizarding war, his father’s term in Azkaban and his Aunt Bellatrix being enamoured with Voldemort. Malfoys knew how to social climb from the crib though, and he would throw money at the right people and show his face in public with Granger on his arm and he would climb the rungs back to where the real power was, at the top.
He looked up at the movement of Granger standing before him. He had been so distracted he hadn’t noticed her leave the dressing room. He swallowed hard. She looked incredible in a black high necked gown. The back was cinched in to reveal the smooth skin of her shoulders and arms. She wore evocative red lipstick and a smirk.
“Do I please you, Malfoy?”
He stood and coughed. “Yes. You look...just as I wanted.” He offered his arm, she took it, and he apparated them to the ball. It was being held in the recently refurbished entrance hall to the Ministry of Magic. Gone was the statue of a wizard on a throne held up by throngs of anguished muggles. After the downfall of Voldemort all the staff who had been under his control, either by willing devotion or Imperius curse, had disbanded and the muggle-lovers had risen to power again, stronger than ever. They had excised a degree of caution with the décor, not previously seen, opting merely for a fountain that shot coloured jets of water at intervals in time to classical music. Tonight the music was silenced in favour of an orchestra.
He scooped up a pair of glasses of champagne from a passing levitating silver tray and handed one off to Hermione, who sipped it and smiled.
“Draco, old chap,” a portly wizard ambled up to him. “Good to see you, good to see you. Who is this ravishing woman you have on your arm?” He raised a bushy white eyebrow and eyed Hermione up and down.
“Tiberius McClaggen, may I introduce you to Miss Hermione Granger. Hermione, Tiberius is one of the upper echelon within the Ministry.”
“Oh my goodness, the famed Miss Granger. I hear you’re doing great things in the Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures. I’d be happy to put forward a word on your behalf to see if we can’t find you something more befitting a woman of your intellect.”
“Thank you Tiberius. That’s really very sweet of you,” Hermione placed a hand on the old man’s forearm, which was met with a broad gummy grin.
“It would be my pleasure. Tell me, Miss Granger, what do you see in this miscreant here?”
Hermione smiled slyly and leaned in to Tiberius to say in a low tone, “Draco has many hidden charms. In fact, they are so well hidden, one wonders if they are really there at all!”
Tiberius laughed jovially and patted Draco on the shoulder as he shuffled away. “Keep an eye on her, Draco. She’s a live-wire!”
Draco wheeled on Hermione. “What was that?”
Hermione blinked innocently. “Didn’t you know I can throw off an Imperius curse? I was a member of Dumbledore’s Army. We know how to defend ourselves. You never did have me under control, Malfoy.”
“Perhaps I just need to mean it more,” Draco scowled, grabbing his wand and recasting the spell silently. Hermione slackened underneath his grip. “I can’t have this night go wrong, Granger. It’s too important to me to appear good in front of the Ministry right now. I need you to behave like you and I are a couple. Now, let’s take our seats.”
They sat down at the table, which was currently empty. They were soon joined by six other guests whom Draco schmoozed smoothly while Hermione smiled rather vacantly.
When the dinner was over he pushed out his chair. “Would you care to dance?” he asked Hermione.
She gazed at him with glazed eyes. “I would love to, Draco.”
He walked her onto the dance floor where he waltzed her, parading her in front of the guests. She certainly turned heads and under the curse she moved like an experienced ballroom dancer. He had years of training with his mother’s tutelage upon father’s insistence that these traditions be upheld. The best way get the attention of a powerful old man is to lure the eye with a beautiful, graceful young woman. The plan was working in his favour. When they exited the dance floor he was approached by the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister to discuss funding for the new election campaign. They arranged to meet the following week. He had what he wanted from the ball, now it was time to take Granger home.
He excused himself from the party and offered Granger his arm. He apparated them home to Malfoy Manor.
“You did wonderfully tonight, Hermione. I couldn’t have gotten that meeting without you and your...charms.”
“I am glad to please you, Draco.”
“I’m glad you are. In fact, nothing would please me more than to kiss you goodnight right now.” He took her in his arms and kissed her with fervour. He lifted the Imperius curse and found her returning his embrace tenderly. She had kissed him back of her own volition. He stepped back in delighted surprise and as his fingers fell from her she disapparated before he could ask her to stay.
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Tit for Tat