Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Forgiven	By : Tassanaburrfoot Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18105 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned Harry Potter or the books or contents. This work is purely for my own pleasure, no profit to be made.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Draco touched the spine of an interesting title and gently pulled the leather bound book from the shelf. He had searched his private library for any books about Muggles, but wasn’t surprised to come up empty handed. Why would any Malfoy ever own a book about Muggles? He knew what he was doing at this moment was the epitome of blasphemy. His grandfather was more the likely rolling in his grave.
The blond Slytherin opened the book he had grabbed and flipped through the pages. Sure, he could wait to see if his mother was successful in her attempt to contact her sister, but he wasn’t really holding out on that and he wasn’t that patient. Knowing how the woman had been cast out of the family, he was certain she was most likely bitter. Though he hoped his mother would get to see her sister again, he wasn’t banking on it.
“Well, stars and stones, look who it is!”
Draco looked up from his book and felt a momentary sense of panic. He stared at his old best friend as memories of their childhood flashed through his mind. Nott had been one of the lucky ones. While his father had indeed been a Death Eater, Nott had never had the option to join. Not only that, but his father was so old, the man wasn’t much use to the Dark Lord during the war and had managed to steer clear of the final battle. It was Nott’s luck his father managed to escape a prison sentence, though Draco still had no idea how he had done it.
“Nott,” he greeted as he recovered, glancing back down at the book in his hands.
He heard the dark haired man chuckle and the footsteps of him approaching Draco. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you amongst the common folk again,” Nott commented, the snark evident in his voice. “What’s made you come out of hiding?”
Draco sighed as he snapped the book shut and tucked it into his elbow. He let his eyes wander over the other books, seeing if he could find more similar to what he held. “Yes, well, the Manor does get rather dull after a while,” he said. “And my mother’s constant state of depression makes it even worse.”
He knew Nott was staring at him, but he refused to meet his old friend’s eyes. He didn’t need to see the judgement to know it was there. Draco had taken the Dark Mark. While his father hadn’t been active in the last battle, Lucius had worked a lot with the Dark Lord. In fact, Lucius was even now paying for his crime, rotting away in prison. Draco still marveled at the way that worked out.
“What are you looking for?” the dark haired wizard asked and Draco stifled the blush that had begun to color his cheeks.
“I’m doing a bit of research,” he explained, pulling out another book to look at.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nott tilting his head to read the title of the book. “Muggle Catchphrases and Their Meanings?” he said aloud, causing Draco to swallow in embarrassment. “Did you hook up with a Muggle or something?”
Draco’s attention snapped to his old friend as he glared at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, Nott,” he snapped. “I would never stoop so low.”
Nott shrugged. “At this point? Why not?” he asked as he glanced up at the books on the shelf. “The Ministry has been trying to encourage more interaction between Purebloods and Muggles. I’m surprised you and your mum haven’t gotten caught up in it. They’re trying to pass this new decree or some shite about former Death Eaters and their progeny doing community service in the Muggle world, hoping for us to gain a better understanding of the people we were so quick to exterminate.” He rolled his eyes as he followed Draco’s lead and pulled out a book for himself. “The Second Muggle World War and How It Compares to Our Second War? Are they serious?”
Draco snorted and shook his head, turning his attention back to the shelf. “I looked through that book. It could be an interesting read, but it would be a waste of time for me at the moment and it doesn’t give me the information that I need.”
“What are you looking for?” Nott asked as he replaced the book.
The blond wizard looked at his old friend in puzzlement. “Become a bookkeeper now, Nott?”
Nott ran a hand through his mop of hair as he chuckled. “Not quite. Just figured I could provide you some sort of help. So, why are you researching Muggles?”
Draco quirked a brow as he tucked the second book into his elbow. He grabbed another book that looked promising and tucked it into his arm without really looking over it. “When have I ever discussed my personal research with anyone else?”
Nott shrugged. “Just thought I’d ask. Don’t get your knickers in such a twist, Malfoy,” he joked.
Draco sighed as he shoulders sagged a bit. “I apologize, Nott. It’s been really stressful in the Manor lately and I do believe it’s starting to get to me.”
He saw Nott open his mouth to speak when Maisey appeared from around the corner. “Master Draco, sir. Maisey thinks she found something Master could use,” she said, holding up the book in her hands.
“Thank you, Maisey,’” he said as he took the book from her and read the title. “This is a good find!” He cracked the book open and flipped through the pages. A smile flitted across his face as he snapped the book shut and tucked it with the others in his arms.
Nott raised his eyebrows, staring at his old friend in bewilderment. “Hey, Malfoy, Zabini and I are meeting up in the Hog’s Head for drinks. Care to join us?”
Draco glanced down at the books in his hands, frowning. He hadn’t been around his friends in ages, but he really needed to read through these books if he wanted to meet up with Granger later and impress her. He had hated when she had laughed at him over his mispronunciation and ignorance of “cavities”. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know anything about Muggles.
“Come on, Draco,” Nott urged. “We’re your friends and we haven’t seen you in ages. You can always buy those books and look at them later. Besides, it’ll be a great excuse to be out of the Manor for a while longer. And from what I heard, Zabini is bringing a nice little bird with him. Should be interesting.”
Draco thought for a little longer and then sighed in defeat. “I suppose you’re right,” he said as he mentally stamped down the anxiety he was feeling.
Taking the books to the counter, he purchased them and handed them to Maisey. “Take these to the Manor and put them on my desk in my study. After that, I want you to start cleaning Father’s old Potions room. You can come back to me when you’re done, alright?”
She gave a quick nod. “Yes, Master Draco,” she answered and Disapparated.
When Draco turned his attention back to Nott, he saw the funny look his old friend was giving him. “What?”
Nott shook his head. “Since when does Draco Malfoy have servants following him around?”
Draco gave a derisive snort as he began walking out the door. “You’d be surprised at how handy having a servant around can be. Anything I need and I don’t have to call on her, because she’s right there,” he explained, then he threw Nott a smirk. “Not to mention, she helps me in other ways, too.”
Nott looked scandalized. “Tell me you’re not shagging the elves, Draco,” he hissed.
Both of Draco’s eyebrows shot up past his bangs as his mouth fell open. “What?” His quickly shook his head. “Hell no! Get your head out of the gutter, mate. I meant she’s helping me on a project I’m working on.”
“Oh. Ok. Good. I was worried there for a second,” Nott commented and Draco saw the tension ease out of the wizard’s shoulders. “It was just shocking the way she was looking at you with such adoration. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house elf act like that.”
As they walked down the road towards the pub, Draco shrugged. “Nor have I,” he admitted. “But I’ve been experimenting with this new thing. Taking her with me, making sure she’s clean and properly fed, and speaking to her a bit kinder.” He grinned at his befuddled friend. “It’s been working like a charm, too. I swear each moment in each other’s presence makes her more loyal to me. She’s so eager to please and she will simply bask in the slightly praise I give her.”
“Careful, mate,” the dark haired wizard warned as he opened the pub door. “You don’t want her to get too attached. She might hinder you from meeting witches, or worse, develop feelings like jealousy when you speak to a witch.”
Draco shook his head. “She won’t,” he said with confidence. “I’m only interested in one witch and Maisey has been helping me to win her.”
“Oh?” Nott asked curiously.
Draco shook his head, ending the conversation as he saw Zabini. He lifted an arm to flag the dark skinned wizard down and he and Nott made their way towards him.
“Malfoy!” Zabini said in surprise as he held his hand out for Draco to grasp. “I’m surprised you’re still alive.” At Draco’s confused look, Zabini chuckled. “Nott and I were wagering on whether you had axed yourself or not,” he said, running a finger across his neck for emphasis.
“What? Of course not!” Draco snapped at the ridiculous notion, not taking much delight in his friends’ laughter. “It’s bad enough my family has as much shame as it does. What would be the point in adding suicide to the list?”
Zabini shrugged as Nott signaled the bartender for drinks. They waited as the bartender brought them glasses of firewhiskey. As the tender was setting the glasses on their table, Draco saw a dark skinned witch join them. Zabini wrapped an arm lazily around her shoulders. “Guys, meet Angelina Johnson,” he introduced.
Draco frowned in recognition and pointed a finger at her. “Weren’t you a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?” he asked curiously.
She held her head up high as the bartender set a butterbeer in front of her. “Yes, I was,” she confirmed. “And you were the Seeker for the worst team in all of Hogwarts.”
The three men stared at her in scandalized shock and she laughed, waving her hand at them. “Men,” she chuckled. “Those old school rivalries were really nonsense, weren’t they?”
“Don’t ever joke about Quidditch,” Nott reprimanded, frowning at her. He glared at Zabini. “Why are you dating a Gryffindor?”
Johnson’s eyes widened as Zabini quickly recovered, shaking his head. “We aren’t dating,” he admitted. “Johnson and I work at the Ministry together. Figured she could use a breather from all those documents she flips through all day.”
Draco straightened up, looking at Johnson with interest. “What department do you work in?” he asked, genuinely curious.
The dark skinned Gryffindor shrugged, taking a sip of her butterbeer. “The Department of Magical Games and Sports with Zabini,” she teased him, then she frowned. “What about you, Malfoy? What have you been up to?”
He leaned back in his chair and took a pull from his firewhiskey. “Pretty much whatever I want,” he responded, giving his trademark smirk.
“Like reading about Muggles?” Nott chimed, staring at Draco.
Draco could feel the blood drain from his face as he turned to Nott. Zabini laughed. “Draco Malfoy? Reading about Muggles? That’ll be the day,” he said with a snort.
Draco’s eyes shifted to Zabini before looking back to Nott. He could actually feel a cold sweat start to build up as Nott joined in Zabini’s mirth. “Seriously, Malfoy,” Nott asked once he and Zabini calmed down. He took a sip of his drink and grimaced at the taste. “What was that all about anyway? Are you honestly trying to impress some bird?”
The blond pureblood blinked as he tried to regain his composure. Taking a deep breath he sighed. “You yourself said the Ministry was trying to create more things to draw us into the Muggle population. Mother had told me about it weeks ago, when she had read about it in the Prophet. I’m simply trying to get a head start.”
“Those decrees weren’t in the Prophet weeks ago,” Johnson said, catching Draco’s lie. “In fact, no one is even supposed to know about it. It’s just talk and rumors. Percy told me that the chances of them actually passing one is pretty slim to none. I mean, most of the Wizengamot are pureblood. And even the Muggle borns understand the importance in keeping our world a secret from the Muggles.”
“Speaking of Muggle borns,” Nott said lazily, effectively changing the subject. Draco knew the dark haired man hated talking about politics. “Anyone seen Granger lately? I’m not much into tainting my bloodline, but damn if she’s not getting hotter by the day.”
“Granger wouldn’t taint your bloodline,” Zabini said as he took a pull from his drink. “She wouldn’t even give you the time of day, mate.”
The blood in Draco’s veins that had been turning cold, churned white hot as he glared at the other Slytherin. He was going to have to nip this quickly. That was his witch Nott was talking about and Draco wasn’t about to let some other snake slither under him and snatch her up. “Granger is untouchable,” he snarled, staring daggers at his old friend.
Both Zabini and Nott stared at Draco in shock and Nott lifted his hands in surrender. “Whoa, calm down, mate,” he said placidly. “It was just a comment. I have no interest in going anywhere near her.”
“What’s it to you anyway, Malfoy?” Zabini asked suspiciously. “Is that who you’re trying to impress?”
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. His mother was right. He really needed to lay off the alcohol. “Of course not,” he breathed with his eyes closed. He blinked a few times and looked up at his friends. He saw disbelief in their eyes, but thankfully his own emotions were safely tucked away behind his personal shield. “I saw Granger recently,” he told them truthfully. “Weasel breath ended things with her and she’s not exactly in a state to entertain any sort of… Well, I doubt she’s going to be interested in jumping into another arrangement.”
The two Slytherins said nothing for a moment, just continued to gaze at the blond pureblood. Then, suddenly, Nott laughed and fell back against his chair. “I’m not talking about relationships, Malfoy,” he admitted. “Just one night. That’s all I would need.”
“Hermione isn’t like that,” Johnson told him, concern shining in her eyes. “And if what Malfoy is saying is true, she must be devastated. She and Ron were…”
“Two thirds of the Golden Trio?” Zabini suggested at her pause. He shrugged. “I figured those two wouldn’t last. If you think about it, they had very little in common. I honestly think the only reason she held onto him for so long was because of their time in the war.”
“He broke it off with her,” Draco pointed out. He glanced at his dark skinned friend. “Granger had received a boutique of flowers from some anonymous gent and he became jealous. Starting accusing her of cheating and stormed off.”
Nott leaned forward, his voice lowered in a hushed tone. “I don’t know Granger well, but I do know she wouldn’t cheat,” he told them. “And I can say that I’ve seen him with a woman or two when she wasn’t around. In fact, I was half tempted to alert her when I spied him snogging some slag in the Leaky Cauldron a couple months ago.”
Johnson’s eyes widened, her attention on Nott. “Why didn’t you? I can’t believe Ron would do something like that!”
“Blackmail, love,” Nott said simply, sitting back in his chair.
Flabbergasted, the dark skinned girl just stared at the man. Her face scrunched indignantly as she glowered at him. “Blackmail for what? What had you hoped to gain by spying on him and then withholding that information?”
Nott spread his hands, palms up. “What else? I need a favor, like keeping my father out of Azkaban, and Weasley makes it happen. I see something in the Ministry that I don’t care for, he does something about it. Of course, I champion most of Granger’s work. Funding her research ensures people see that I’m not like my father.”
“I thought you said you weren’t interested in Granger?” Zabini prodded.
“I’m not,” Nott confessed with a shrug. “But Malfoy just confirmed that she is now single. Think of the prestige one could get by dating the Muggle born. Or even better, actually marrying her.”
At those words, Draco stood from his seat, his legs banging against the table, causing drinks to splash onto the wood.
“Watch it!” Zabini shouted, pushing his chair back as he attempted and failed to avoid getting covered in the liquid. “Damn it, Malfoy!” he growled, taking out his handkerchief and dabbing his pants as the bartender brought them some towels. “You owe me a suit!”
“Charge it to Nott’s account,” Draco snarled as his eyes hardened and looked at the man he once considered a best friend. He held up a hand and pointed at Nott. His other hand clenched into a fist at his side. “I told you Granger was off limits. She’s going through a difficult time right now and does not fucking need your brand of charm to confuse her even more! She’s been through hell and back and you haven’t a clue about any of it!”
Nott’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he stood up as well and took a step towards Draco. “You’d be surprised, Malfoy,” he spat quietly. “Where were you that year we returned to school? Who the fuck do you think held her and soothed her fears every fucking night? Who the fuck do you think put up with listening to her crying and fucking screaming because she was reliving a fucking nightmare from your fucking house!”
Zabini and Johnson stood as well. The dark skinned Italian stepped between the two men, pushing them away from each other. “Calm down,” he ordered them both in soothing tones.
Johnson pulled out her wand and cast a barrier charm between the men, keeping them from getting to one another as Draco lunged at Nott. The force of the barrier threw him back and he landed with a crash on the table behind him. Draco struggled in the debris of the broken table and the bartender hurled him to his feet. Yanking his arms out of the bartender’s grasp, Draco straightened his clothes and dusted off the dirt. He made a grab for his own wand, but the bartender seized his arm again.
“Take it out of my bar, gents!” the bartender roared. He threw Draco towards the exit door. “Bring that shite back in here and I’ll have the Aurors hull you away!”
Draco stormed out of the pub and quickly Apparated back to the Manor.
(II)(II)
“Fuck!” Draco shouted as he kicked the wall in his study. He punched the door and cursed more as pain shot up his arm. In his rage, he had forgotten the door was made of pure oak.
He put his hands in his hair, grabbing the blond locks roughly and pulling at them as he bent slightly at the waist and moved to his armchair. As he plunked down onto the cushion, he rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He had to get a grip on himself. He still wanted to meet with Granger and he knew he couldn’t present himself to her like this. It would scare her, or give her more stress and that was the last thing she needed.
He heard the door to his study open and the click of his mother’s heels as she entered the room. “Draco? What’s going on?” she asked and then added, “What did you do to your door?”
Frustrated, he threw himself back in his chair. “It doesn’t matter,” he told her. “This whole fucking plan isn’t going to work.”
“Watch your language,” Narcissa reprimanded as she glared at her son angrily. “Now, tell me, what’s going on?”
He sat up and looked at her. He could feel his hand starting to swell, but he ignored it. “Granger’s been getting cozy with Theodore Nott who intends to use her to gain status. He was bragging about it in the Hog’s Head. Even more, I think he’s going to ask her out.”
She gave him a disappointed look as she stared down at him. He could easily tower over her, and he knew that, but he was sitting at the moment and she was intimidating. So, he visibly cringed at the look he received from her.
“Draco Lucius,” she scolded. “You know better! When have the Notts ever been serious about things like this? And what makes you think he stands a chance against you? You are a Malfoy! Pull yourself together and sit up straight!”
He scowled up at her and then shied away from the look her fierce blue eyes gave him. “He knows,” he protested. “They shared a Common Room together, Mother. That year after the war, when you tried to get me to go back and I refused. McGonagall put all the 8^th years in a dormitory together, regardless of which House they had been Sorted into. Both he and Blaise Zabini were able to spend actual time with her because she was the only one of the Golden Trio who returned. Even Granger admitted to me that she had spent some time with them. She had little choice, from what she told me.”
“And what else did she say about it? Are they friends? Do they owl one another or otherwise keep in contact?”
He thought about it and, as he did, the anger began to leave him. “Actually, no,” he said simply. “She told me they rarely spoke and while she did express some companionship with Zabini, she didn’t share it with Nott. In fact, she hadn’t been able to answer my question when I asked her how Zabini was doing.”
Narcissa gestured with her hand. “See? You’re getting all jealous over nothing,” she concluded. “Even if Mr. Nott has an interest in Miss Granger, it’s obvious the feeling is one sided. Besides, I’m sure she’ll see through any trick he tries to play on her. You have to remember, Miss Granger is the brightest witch of your age.”
He gave her a withering look. “Which is another reason I see folly in this plan, Mum,” he said. “How long do you think we’ll be able to keep this up before she figures us out?”
She stepped around his armchair and sat on the one in front of him. “You’re different, darling,” she said. “Mr. Nott simply wants to use her to gain power.”
“Isn’t that what we’re going?” he asked, dropping his hands into his lap and staring at them.
“Of course not,” she huffed. “I saw that picture, though I’ve been incredibly curious about how it happened and who had taken it. How many people know of that moment?” She sighed and continued before he had a chance to answer. “She wasn’t the only one glowing, my love. The only other time I’ve ever seen two people in as much love has been in the photos of your father and myself. You actually love her, and for once in our lives, there’s nothing wrong with it. You can have her, Draco. Make her yours. Turn her into a Malfoy. Now that the pauper’s out of the way, she’s there for the taking.”
“Which reminds me,” he said, sitting up. “Nott gave me another piece of information I can use. Apparently Weaselbee has been fooling around with other witches behind Granger’s back.”
Narcissa pinched her lips. “I agree that its good information to have, but I wouldn’t utilize it just yet,” she suggested. “The wounds of his betrayal are still fresh, but there may be a time when his infidelity will come into play. Just watch and listen.”
Draco gave her a patient look as he said, “I’ll be twenty years old in five days. I think I know how to use the information I’ve been given by now.”
Her eyes brightened and she clapped her hands. “Yes! Your birthday! You should ask Miss Granger to spend it with you,” she advised. “There’s this really nice French restaurant opening up in Diagon Alley that would be perfect.”
Draco opened his mouth to protest some more, but then closed it. Taking Granger out to a French restaurant was actually a good idea. “I’ll ask her tomorrow,” he said. “Though, I need to come up with a reason I would ask her and not someone else, like you.”
Narcissa raised an eyebrow. “How about the fact that you’re a twenty year old rich bachelor who doesn’t like the idea of bringing his mother out for a date? Or what about the idea that, as said twenty year old rich bachelor, you only want the most beautiful young witch to help you celebrate? You’re young, son. You need to live, and that will be difficult with your mother trialing around with you. Somehow I doubt any beautiful young witch would approach a man who had his mother on his arm.”
“I don’t want just any beautiful young witch to approach me,” he told her. “I want Granger. She’s the only witch that will satisfy me.”
Narcissa gave him a knowing smile. “Darling, when you have Miss Granger on your arm, all those other witches will be green with envy and you will be hailed as the most beautiful young couple since your father and me.”
“I’ll speak with her tomorrow,” he assured her.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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

Forgiven