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The Joke Book Trap	By : TalisRuadair Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 10791 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Series (1997-2007) and any characters and original locations within the books belong to JK Rowling. I am not making any money from this fiction. Pride and Prejudice belongs to Jane Austen.

Chapter List
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Chapter Eight – Quitting Netherfield

Theo let out a gasp of air as he read the accusations Hermione threw at Draco as the two of them danced beautifully together. He couldn’t believe that she attacked him so maliciously. She didn’t even give him the opportunity to explain himself. Theo really began to see the similarities between Elizabeth and Hermione, as well as between Draco and Darcy. The love hate relationship between the two of them was quite similar; however she had no right to pick at the scabs of his friend’s healing wounds. He shook his head and set the book down after reading that Draco was pacing his room at Netherfield because he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Theo grabbed his quill and parchment. He needed to write to George again because his invention was only torturing Draco. He was afraid his friend would soon buckle under the pressure. He admitted that Draco needed to face some of his inner demons, but he didn’t need Hermione pulling them out before everyone and making a public spectacle of his failures.

As soon as their dance was over, Draco walked back and forth in his living quarters in the home. He couldn’t believe that Hermione still saw him as the boy who called her that word. He thought she knew about him being forced to torture others under Voldemort’s command but never killed anyone. He was under so much pressure when he was made a Death Eater. She was right about him being a coward and submitting to his fear. He was afraid for the only people he ever loved, his parents. He cared about his friends and he still was pretty broken up over the death of Crabbe. He couldn’t help but blame himself; if he hadn’t been so willing to attempt to please his father, then perhaps they wouldn’t have followed the Golden Trio into the Room of Hidden Things. His pride took a hit when Harry took off with his wand, and he only wanted to have that familiar piece of wood between his fingers. He felt tears slipping from his eyes, as he remembered Crabbe while he paced. He knew it was something he shouldn’t be doing. He needed to go back down there and continue to play Darcy. She was right in some aspects; however she still didn’t see the true person who he hid behind the cool Malfoy mask. That person was shy, vulnerable, and insecure. He swore he’d never let anyone see that side of him, but perhaps the only way she would forgive him for his past deeds was to let that guard down. He shook his head and quickly casted a charm that hid the fact that he’d been crying like a child in his bedroom. He checked his appearance and he looked as unaffected as possible.

A few minutes after returning to parlor, Draco felt accosted by his former Defense against the Dark Arts Professor and now deceased Cousin in Law. “I am sorry to interrupt you but I must introduce myself. I heard that you are the nephew of my Patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When I heard that you were her nephew, I felt the need to introduce myself, I am Mr. Collins.”**

“It’s a pleasure, I’m sure.” Draco coolly responded, however he tried to maintain an heir of civility.**

After the man went into another speech with regards to the beauty of Rosings, the delightful character of his cousin, and the overall greatness of his aunt, Draco attempted to hide his discomfort. At the end of the speech, he bowed and walked away.** He didn’t want to converse with such shallow people. He didn’t want to think about what Hermione thought of him. He just didn’t want to be in the room with anyone. He didn’t want his memories of the war to come back and hit him full force. He didn’t want a lot of things and hoped the ball would end soon, so that he and his party could make their retreat. Maybe if he had time to think away from Hermione, he could figure out the growing affections he was feeling for her. If he didn’t care for her in some way, her words wouldn’t have harmed him so greatly. If they were merely the words of an enemy, he wouldn’t care because he knew they didn’t know him. However, they were the words of the brightest student at Hogwarts. She was the one who valued logic over all else. She’d defended him to her friends in their sixth year because she wasn’t willing to jump to conclusions that he’d taken the mark. He couldn’t understand what happened to her that allowed her to only see his poor decisions, his Death Eater status that he hated more than the Dark Lord, and his indiscretions. She mustn’t have looked him in the eye when his aunt was torturing her on the floor of his family’s parlor. He retreated to the outside of the mingling guests and stood next to the dark wood paneled walls. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.

His eyes quickly snapped open when his mind traveled to Hermione writhing on the expensive Persian Rug in their Parlor. She didn’t break, but continued to lie to Bellatrix’s face. Her courage was unbreakable and her loyalty true. She was willing to sacrifice herself if it would save her friends. Even with his eyes open, he still watched and heard her screams, as the vial woman he called an aunt carved the word Mudblood into her left forearm. They both scars on the left forearm, sure the dark mark faded but a white outline remained. Draco wished he could do something to permanently remove the mark, but he understood it was a reminder of what led him down that dark path in the first place. It was the reminder to do something better with himself, and to forgo the ignorance and prejudice beliefs of his forefathers. He was a changed person, but all Hermione could see was his vial younger self.

Dinner had arrived and Draco was sat across from Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. The latter was busy discussing her delight of such a well matched couple Bingley and Jane were. She was busy mentioning his wealth and Draco couldn’t help but feel a little sick with the way the woman went on. It seemed as though she was more concerned that her daughter marry well than her daughter’s affection for the man she was courting. He had witnessed much like the character he was playing, that Jane didn’t show as many signs of affection toward his friend.** If he hadn’t read the book and known the true extent of Jane’s feelings toward Bingley, he would assume that she was motivated by financial security, which reminded him too much of the woman chasing after him back at Hogwarts. None of them saw the real him, they only saw gold, and his previous standing with the Dark Lord. They thought he was like-minded in their feelings regarding blood status and all the other crap that ensnared the wealthy elite within pureblood society to follow an impoverished but charismatic half-blood. Did they not learn from their mistakes? Draco knew more than anyone that he never wished to travel down that path again; he never wanted to be trapped in his own home and motivated by such fear. He never wanted to hurt others, let alone do it because he was commanded to at the threat of his own harm. His attention arrived back to the dinner when he heard Hermione warn Mrs. Weasley of speaking so rudely before his presence.

Mrs. Weasley loudly scolded Hermione, “What is Mr. Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no such particular civility to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear.”*

“For heaven’s sake, madam, speak lower. What advantage can it be tor you to offend Mr. Darcy? You will never recommend yourself to his friend by doing so!” Hermione condemned in a lower tone, but Draco could still hear her.*

Hearing the words that continued to spew from Mrs. Weasley’s mouth only made him feel more ill. He grew to quickly hate the woman before him. He was sure that his face was no longer composed and hidden behind his mask. He was appalled and some of the things she was saying struck too close to home. She spoke ill of him, she spoke of the great wealth and the easy life her daughter would have when she married Bingley. She had no sense of decorum, and he most definitely wouldn’t want to have such a woman as a Mother-in-Law. He could see quickly how Mr. Darcy drew the conclusions he did in the book, and why they’d be leaving shortly after the ball ended. He couldn’t help but feel his friend would be ill used under the present company and wasn’t sure if Jane truly cared for Bingley or was motivated by her mother.

After supper Looney Lovegood make her way to the pianoforte, and it was soon realized by everyone in attendance that she was not talented at all. Draco took his stance next to Bingley, the She-Weasel, Astoria, and Jane. Jane seemed to ignore the embarrassment that was her sister and continued to converse with Bingley. However, the other two women continued to shoot him knowing and judging looks. Right after the Ravenclaw finished her second song, Mr. Weasley loudly prevented her from starting another, “That will do extremely well, child. You have delighted us long enough. Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit.”

Next his cousin’s werewolf added to circling conversation of the room, “If I were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman. I do not mean, however to assert that we can be justified in devoting too much of our time to music, for there are certainly other things to be attended to. The rector of a parish has much to do. In the first place, he must make such an agreement for tithes as a may be beneficial to himself and not offensive to his patron…”* Draco turned his attention away from the longwinded speech the air head of a clergyman was spouting behind him and tried to focus on anything not related to Hermione.

At the end of the party, the Bennets were the last to leave because the presumable Mrs. Weasley must have asked her carriage to arrive a half hour after all of the other guests had already left. Draco could tell that both of the sisters to his friends were willing them to leave as soon as possible, as they were feigning fatigue. Draco remained quiet during the whole exchange, and he refused to make eye contact with Hermione. He didn’t want her to see how hurt her words made him. He didn’t want to show weakness to the lioness for fear she would pounce on him and mangle him further or perhaps go in for the kill. He was by no means prepared to show her who he really was when she already had her mind made up with regards to his true character.

A couple of days passed before Draco escorted Bingley to London. Once there he was able to convince the man of Jane’s unaffected nature and the unacceptable behavior of her relatives. He knew well that Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley would be joining them shortly after sending a correspondence to Jane. Once in London he was soon met by the toad faced Umbridge and Darcy’s sister, who bared more resemblance to Jane then himself, other than her beauty, fair skin, and blond hair because her blue eyes were far different than his gray ones. He wished he remembered why Jane looked familiar, so that he could place who the girl was that was staring at him and hugging him with affection. He was shocked, as he knew the character was supposed to be about sixteen, but the girl before him looked about twelve or thirteen at the most.

His mind was occupied as he stepped into the role of gentleman businessman. He oversaw various aspects of his fortune and tried to keep his mind from the bright eyes of Hermione Granger. He tried to think of anything else and distract himself with the mundane and grayer aspects of day to day life. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help but go back to Hermione and he found himself rereading his copy of Pride and Prejudice just too familiar himself with what she was going through while he was away. He smiled as he reread over the proposal scene between Elizabeth and Mr. Collins. A smile played at the sides of his mouth as he pictured the older werewolf asking Hermione to marry him. He felt his stomach plummet as he read about her continued affection for Wickham.

However, a few days after arriving in London he was distracted by Miss Bingley and a visit from someone he wasn’t expecting to see again. It turned out Colonel Fitzwilliam, the one who was helping in the guardianship of Darcy’s younger sister Georgiana, was none other than Saint Potter. He quickly realized that if all of the characters were placed because of some scanning of Hermione’s mind upon entry to the book, then of course her two best friends would be present in possible romantic roles. As he knew that Elizabeth considered both officers as possible candidates for her affection at one point in the novel. However, Wickham showed his true colors and Fitzwilliam expressed his inability to find love because of his current financial situation.***

A/N: I know this was a shorter chapter, but I fear that it was all I could include because I need to switch back to Hermione’s perspective before taking a time jump to her arrival at Rosings. We know how much we look forward to the Easter Holiday. Any guesses as to who Georgiana Darcy is? She’s not as well known of a character in the Harry Potter universe, but I’m sure some of you know.

*All dialogued marked is *quoted or **paraphrased from chapter eighteen of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice(1813). The scenes are also derived from those chapters. The only things original to me are Draco's thoughts. ***This was an original summary based upon what we find out later happens, which causes Bingley to quit Netherfield. However, once again it is strongly based upon Pride and Predjuice.
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The Joke Book Trap