Heart in Agony

Chapter 3

"What am I thinking?"

That was all Hermione had had in her head that whole day. But now that she was staring at herself in the mirror, all made up, it was coming through ten times as worse. Part of her was trying to convince the other to take off her fancy clothes, tie her hair back again, and spend the night reading an old romance novel.

"Don't be stupid Hermione, you may be being offered the chance to live out one of those novels!"

But the rational side was screaming at her to reconsider. What possible reason could Draco Malfoy have for wanting to meet her in the Astronomy tower at night that didn't have to do with a scheme to humiliate her? But in the end, the more adventurous side, the one that believed in star-crossed lovers too much to let her sit in her room all night, won.

With one last look in the mirror, Hermione Granger rushed out of her bedroom, sped down the stairs and arrived in the Gryffindor common room. Thankfully there was nobody else there to see her late night exit as she made her way out into the dimly lit corridor. Luckily, the fat lady somehow managed to sleep through it and Hermione could get on her way.

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Up in the Astronomy tower Draco Malfoy sat going over the plan in his head. He would fill Granger in on the situation, persuade her to do things the way he wanted, and hopefully she would cooperate. But he wasn't stupid. He knew that the mudblood hated him, and that she wouldn't do anything just to please him unlike a lot of the girls he knew.

"Why her?" he whispered and put his head in his hands.

"Talking to yourself now Malfoy? What would daddy think?"

He knew that voice straight away. Annoying little mudblood. As he turned to look upon the face of the one he despised so much his eyes met a sight his brain wasn't prepared for. There she was, Hermione Granger, not looking half bad! Some might even say...she looked good.

"Wonders never cease!"

"For God's sake Malfoy, if you're going to insist on speaking could you at least do it loud enough for me to hear?"

"My apologies mademoiselle! In future, I will be sure to include you in my conversations with myself."

"Look, cut the crap, just tell me why you asked me to meet you here, and I can be on my merry way!"

"Ah well, I was looking forward to a nice little chat, but if you insist. Basically, some of the other guys in my house bet me that I couldn't seduce the girl they chose, and they chose you as you may have guessed. Whether I can or can't doesn't bother me, what does though is my reputation being tarnished. These aren't the kind of people who would keep it to themselves if I failed. The whole of slytherin would know by breakfast. So, I have a proposal which I think you might like. I will tell them that we slept together, and if they ask you, you will agree. Oh don't look so shocked, I will of course be giving you 10 galleons for your trouble."

Hermione was stunned, and more than a little disappointed. She had been hoping that Draco was going to pounce on her as pathetic as that sounds!

"Wait, let me see if I understand this. Are you in fact offering to pay me to tell people that we slept together?"

"Don't flatter yourself Granger. Technically, you could look at it that way, but..."

"No buts. That is what your asking. Also, I don't remember you telling me how much the bet was worth."

"Why is that important? I told you, I'm only doing this to uphold my reputation. However, if you must know, 100 galleons."

"Oh, but you see, that presents us with a problem. That would only leave me with ten percent of your takings. And if you want you want to keep your precious reputation upheld as much as you say you do, you don't have any other options than to cooperate with me. Unless you can think of another way!"

"There is no other way and you know it. In order for me to get any of that money or respect, people have to believe that we've slept together. And since that is never going to happen..."

"What am I to repulsive for you? Or are you worried about dirtying your pecker by letting it come in contact with a muggleborn? Or maybe it's as I've always suspected, you prefer something a little closer to home?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm gay or incestuous? I assure you that neither is true. Also, I do not have a pecker. I am very well endowed. Plus, you act like you would do it, when it is quite clear that I would be your first and I am positive you are saving that glorious position for Potty."

Hermione walked over to the chair that Draco was occupying, bent down so that their faces were only inches apart, closed her eyes and softly her lips on his. She then whispered,

"Are you positive? Oh, and just for the record, the answer is no!"

She then slowly stood back up and silently made her way back to the common room, and eventually up to her bedroom where she lay awake for hours thinking about what to do.

Draco also couldn't sleep, but he knew what kind of dreams would come if he did. He tried to stay awake for that reason as he had done many nights before. But this night there was a new reason. He wanted to think about the mudblood in the conscious world. How could he convince her to do things his way?

"Who knew she was so goddamned stubborn, or that I would actually be looking forward to seeing her again."

He slowly, despite himself, drifted into a land of murder and pain, and for some reason, Hermione was there too.