A Cheater's Game

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A Cheater's Game

Chapter 2 - The Bet

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~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco arose from bed the next morning, a wide grin spread across his face. It was unlike him to be so joyful at any time, let alone so early in the morning, but he could not help it. He quickly dressed and brushed his teeth before hurrying downstairs.

Today was Friday, the last day of the school week, and Draco was very glad of that fact. The whole week had dragged along until last night where it started to become somewhat interesting. Once in the Common Room, he easily spotted Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle sprawled all over the couch and armchairs. He took an armchair opposite Blaise who gazed at Draco intently, his eyes curious.

"You're up to something," Blaise pointed out, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Draco learned only a few years ago that Blaise's grandmother was empathic; it appeared that Blaise also possessed a portion of this power. Though Blaise didn't really need to be sensitive to Draco's feelings to realise something was going on.

"What gives you that impression?" Draco asked with a sly smile.

"Don't play games with me, spill," Blaise demanded, as Crabbe and Goyle watched from the couch with no idea of what was going on.

"I need to talk to that psychic - the Seer," Draco told Blaise, who raised an eyebrow.

"Give the young girl a break. So what, she made a wrong prediction - you were the one who decided to "gaze at the stars' reflection" or whatever, last night!" Blaise reasoned.

"Who said she was wrong?" Draco said, turning his face away from Blaise, who looked dumbfounded.

"You're joking, right?" Blaise exclaimed. Draco's face stayed blank. "You mean to tell me that that little third-year actually made a true prediction - about you?"

"Unless it's an extreme coincidence."

Blaise stared at him in disbelief

"No. Way," Blaise refused to believe it.

Just then as if on que, the plain brown-haired third-year entered the Slytherin Common Room from the girls' staircase. All four boys stared at her, Crabbe and Goyle clueless but Draco and Blaise exchanged curious glances. They nodded, simultaneously agreeing silently in their heads.

"Hey - ahh.... You!" Blaise shouted, immediately catching the girl's attention. "What's her name again?" he whispered to Draco.

"Ah ... Mad-"

"It's Madeline," the seer informed them as she approached the couches. "Now what do you want?"

Draco raised an eyebrow at Blaise - who was she to stand up to them?

"Just to talk, nothing wrong with wanting a bit of a chat is there?" Blaise remarked coolly.

"I'm not scared of you just because you're older and popular," Madeline retorted in a calm voice. "You can quit the tough guy act."

Blaise stared at the girl offended and deeming her insane in his head for suggesting that he was only acting tough. But Draco cut him off before he could get a word in.

"Do you often do predictions?" Draco asked, showing more eagerness than he liked to express. "And do they just as often come true?"

Madeline laughed.

"So I guess you actually listened to what I told you," Madeline said airily, looking off into space. "You're one of the few that do."

Blaise smacked the side of his head, rolling his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," Draco continued, ignoring Blaise.

"I'm a Seer," was all she said, staring at him with her wide eyes.

Draco studied her face. She had large round eyes, framed with long dark eyelashes, of a mysterious colour he could not pick; a mixture of brilliant blues and greens and - what was that? - violet?

Surely not ...

Apart from her odd eyes, the rest of her was fairly plain. Her nose was straight, but not too long, and her lips full and rounded, soft pink in colour. She wore not a scrap of makeup over her pastel-cream-coloured skin.

"Where are your friends?' Draco asked suddenly. The girl's face immediately turned stormy.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Madeline demanded.

"What?" Draco exclaimed. "No, I-"

"Do you think I don't get enough teasing from the others already?" Her voice was rising, not quite hysterical.

"I never meant-"

"No-one ever does," Madeline said coldly. "The words just flow out. It must be terribly easy to be so nasty to plain, boring, weird Madeline!"

The third-year stormed off out of the Common Room in a huff. Draco and Blaise sat back, stunned.

"She's got issues," Blaise said. "Serious issues."

Draco just sat there, nodding his head, not really listening to Blaise. He was running plans through his head of how he was going to torture Weasel.

"Loner ... I mean, just because she has no friends she thinks she can back chat us?" Blaise exclaimed. "How does that work?"

Maybe I could announce it in the Great Hall at dinner tonight ... or at breakfast - that's even earlier! Or maybe I could-

"Who does she think she is-"

"Blaise, shut up!" Draco yelled. "I'm scheming!"

"So who have you got an 'upper hand' on?" Blaise asked. "Potter?"

"No, not Potter."

"Who then, Weasel, the Mudblood, that fifth year who wants to break your face for sleeping with his girlfriend?"

"Which one?"

Blaise paused and cocked his head to the side, a confused look plastered across his face.

"It doesn't matter anyway - look, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," Draco said. "If I decide I need any help - which is unlikely - I will inform you."

Draco stood up and headed towards the stone door concealed as a wall that would lead him out of the Common Room. He stopped in his tracks after a few feet, not hearing footsteps behind him.

"Well, are you coming?" Draco snapped. "The whole time we've been at Hogwarts I have never seen any of you skip breakfast."

Crabbe and Goyle jumped up from the couch, stumbling over each other and scurried over Draco. Blaise however did not move.

"Not coming, Blaise?" Draco asked with a steely glare.

"No, I'm not hungry," Blaise answered. He held Draco's cold unwavering stare. There was a tease moment in which everything was dead silent.

"Suit yourself," Draco said finally, and with a swish of his cloak he was well on his way out of the Common Room. As soon as the stone door closed noisily shut, Blaise sighed in relief and fell back in his chair.

"Damn."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron lay in bed that morning with the curtains drawn closed. It was late, he knew, but Ron could not bring himself to get out of bed. His whole body felt as though gravity was weighing it down twice as much as usual, three times even. The red-head's heart felt heavy, but he still had hope; he still had Hermione's love - for now.

He put his hands over his face, eyes screwed up, lips tight; the epitome of regret.

"I'm so stupid!" Ron exclaimed aloud. Then he realised he was still in his dorm. Peeking his head out the curtain, eyes scanning the room, Ron found it empty. He frowned in confusion, looking around the room again; but there was no one in sight.

"Where is everyone?" Ron asked no one in particular.

And then he saw the clock.

"Oh, bloody hell."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco waltzed into the Great Hall for breakfast, followed closely by his bulky entourage. With his head held high and a triumphant smirk on his face, the Slytherin Prince looked more cocky than ever.

Hermione raised her head from where she sat at the Gryffindor table and rolled her eyes at the sight of him. One thing the smartest witch at Hogwarts had learnt about Draco Malfoy was that he could look arrogant and as though he knew something everyone else did not all the time, whether or not he was all the wiser.

This was yet another aspect of Draco she despised. He strutted around the castle as though he owned the place, yet he was still unable to receive a higher grade than Hermione in Charms; and Herbology; and Transfiguration; and pretty much all their classes that weren't Defence Against the Dark Arts or Potions. And even then Hermione beat him half the time, that is if Snape decided to mark them fairly.

Hermione smiled as she took a bite out of her toast, knowing that no matter how pure Draco's blood was, she would always be cleverer than him.

As Draco strode passed her, he glanced down at Hermione and his smirk seemed to widen ever further across his face, if that's possible. Hermione held his gaze and glared at him until he turned away and laughed something at Crabbe and Goyle. They held blank expressions on their faces before finally catching on - or pretending to, as Hermione was sure they'd had to all these years - erupting in huge whoops of laughter. They all looked over at Hermione before sniggering all the way to the Slytherin table. The sensible Gryffindor simply shook her head at their immaturity and took another bite out of her crispy toast.

"Jerks," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Morning!" Hermione looked up at the two people cheerfully greeting her.

"Morning Lavender, Parvarti," Hermione replied to them each in turn. They both sat down opposite her. "How was your detention?"

Parvarti giggled and Lavender quickly elbowed her in the ribs, a stern look on her face, immediately silencing her friend.

"Parvarti thinks it's funny that Snape made me collect snails from the rocks beside the lake," Lavender told Hermione quickly.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm laughing about," Parvarti mumbled and helped herself to a slice of toast. Lavender shot her a warning glance before turning back to Hermione, a chirpy smile on her face.

"I fell in," Lavender confessed. Parvarti's eyes flicked over to her best friend with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I'll head off to class," Parvarti said shortly, snatching up her bag and walking off, toast in her other hand.

If looks could kill, Parvarti would be flat on her face right now.

Lavender laughed hollowly.

"Could have happened to anyone," she said between gritted teeth as though trying to keep words in that she so desperately wished to say.

"So that was you who left the muddy footsteps all the way up the girls' staircase," Hermione said. "I wondered what Snape must have made you do!"

Lavender's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"It was still there this morning?" Lavender asked.

"Oh no, it was gone by this morning, House Elves must have cleaned it up," Hermione said, her resentment towards the school's choice of cleaners quite clear. "I waited up for Ron in the Common Room last night."

Lavender's eyes widened in fear as she recalled how she and Ron and returned to the Common Room after their meeting.

Ron pushed Lavender up against the portrait of the Fat Lady, kissing her roughly.

"Do you mind?" The Fat Lady asked, her nose turned up. "I was trying to sleep - you do realise what time it is, don't you?"

Ron and Lavender broke apart and looked up at the affronted woman. Lavender giggled.

"Sorry," Ron laughed.

"Didn't mean to intrude!" Lavender added and the pair of them burst out laughing.

Lavender kissed him again before asking, "Do we go in separate tonight?"

"I think we can afford to risk it sometimes," Ron said, daring.

"Quidditch."

"Oh it's about time!" The Fat Lady exclaimed and quite willingly swung open.

Ron hoisted Lavender's legs around his waist and carried her into the Common Room, getting a squeal out of her.

"Shh!" Ron silenced her, trying hard not to laugh himself. They got to the middle of the Common Room, not realising the wet, muddy trail of footsteps Ron left behind him; nor did they notice Hermione's sleeping figure behind them on the couch. Lavender locked lips with the youngest male of the Weasley clan, running her hands through his damp hair.

"See you tomorrow night?" Lavender questioned.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Ron replied, kissing her once more before they headed their separate ways.

Lavender sat there open-mouthed, wide-eyed and in utter shock. She slowly turned her head fearfully towards Hermione, as though at any moment it would click in Hermione's mind what her and Ron had been up to.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, alarmed by Lavender's sudden change of attitude. "Lavender, are you alright?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," Lavender replied, indeed looking rather white. "Must be this darn food!"

She quickly jumped out of her seat and ran out of the Great Hall.

"But you haven't even eaten anything!" Hermione shouted after her, but Lavender was long gone. The Gryffindor prefect sighed.

"Wow, Snape's really done it this time."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron stumbled around the boys' dormitory, searching for a matching pair of socks and trying to do up the buttons on his shirt at the same time. An idea suddenly came to him. He pulled out his wand.

"Accio socks!" He exclaimed. A second later, a blue pair of socks sailed neatly into his hand.

"There, that wasn't too hard."

But the blue pair was soon followed by a green pair, which collided with the side of Ron's head.

"What the-" A red pair got him in the eye, just before a grey pair socked him in the nose, and soon after every single sock in the room sat on top of Ron who was now flat on his back.

"This is not my day."

By the time Ron got out of the Common Room, breakfast was well and truly over and classes already begun. He hurried down the corridor, dreading walking into Potions.

"Could this day get any worse?" Ron wondered.

"Hey Weasley!" A voice called out from behind him.

Oh great, Ron thought before even turning around.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked. The blonde-haired Slytherin smirked, finally catching up to Ron.

"It's not just what I want, Weaselbee - it's what I'm going to get."

Ron didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Don't start the mind games, get on with it."

"Well if that's what you want," Draco said, becoming serious. "Let's get down to business. I know what's going on between you and Brown."

"W-W-What?" Ron spluttered.

"I saw your little, ahh ... meeting last night at - or more specifically in - the lake," Draco announced to a flabbergasted Ron. "Naughty boy, Weasley. And I thought you Gryffindor's were supposed to be the greater good of all the houses. Guess I was wrong ..."

A long silence followed as Ron's mind registered what he felt was the impossible.

"So? What's your problem?"

"I've got a proposal for you, Weasel. You cheated on her so let's give her the same chance. If I can get the Mudblood to cheat on you, I'll tell her of your deception. But if she can stay true to you for a whole month, I'll keep my mouth shut. Deal?"

Draco extended his hand. Ron eyed it, unsure.

"You're going to try and make 'Mione cheat on me?" Ron exclaimed.

"Well why not, it's the least she deserves. It definitely seems fair after what you did to her."

"And if I don't accept?" Ron asked.

"Then I'll announce it to everyone in Potions."

"You know she wont cheat on me. She hates you. And she still loves me," Ron said, trying to assure himself more than Draco.

"We'll see about that."

Draco's hand was still extended, waiting for Ron to agree. The fight going on in Ron's head between his pride and his love was obvious on the outside.

"Hey, I'll even chuck in a few rules," Draco offered. "For me to win I cannot tell the Mudblood that you're a cheating scumbag; I can't drug, bewitch or harm her in any way to get her to cheat, and of course - no rape. Now doesn't that make you feel better?" The sarcasm dripping from his voice did not help.

"Completely." Ron shook his head before he could even think about regretting it and roughly shook Draco's hand.

"Deal."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Detention Weasley," was Snape's effervescent greeting as Ron entered the potions classroom twenty minutes late. "See me after class."

Ron didn't even protest as he went to sit down in the spare seat next to Hermione.

"Don't even think about it," Snape barked. "You'll sit next to Miss Parkinson."

"But sir!" Pansy wailed.

"Enough Pansy."

All eyes in the classroom were either on the Potions Master or Ron, but the red-head did not look at anyone. Hermione was looking at him questioningly, both as to why he was late and why he didn't stand up for himself - it was unlike Ron to pass up an opportunity to throw a few insults at his least favourite teacher.

Lavender, who appeared to have gotten the colour back in her face, was too looking at Ron, but with a confused and unsympathetic expression.

Geez, we both had the same amount of sleep last night and I still managed to get up on time this morning!

"Sorry I'm late, sir."

Everyone's eyes moved from Ron to the blonde Slytherin standing in the doorway.

"And where have you been, Mr. Malfoy?" This sounded more like a question the professor had to ask, rather than a question he was interested in the answer for.

"The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher wanted to talk to me," Draco lied.

"Did she now?" Snape saw right through it. "Very well, sit down."

Ron's jaw dropped.

"What!" Ron couldn't help exclaiming. "He strolls in later than me - without punishment?"

"Mr. Malfoy was courteous enough to provide me with a reason for his lateness, a gesture you did not."

"But-"

"Do you want another detention, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron kept his mouth shut.

"That's what I thought. Now, have a seat Mr. Malfoy. We're starting a new topic today ..."

Snape beagin talking about a potion used by Quidditch players to enhance their performance.

Draco smirked at Ron as he passed several free seats before stopping at Hermione's desk.

"May I sit here?"

"There are plenty of free seats elsewhere," Hermione replied, not even bothering looking up at him.

"Thanks," Draco said as he sat down next to the Muggleborn witch. Hermione looked over at him indignantly.

"I thought I told you-"

"Excuse me, could you save the chatter for later? I'm trying to concentrate," Draco said, listening to Snape's words with much interest.

" ... but of course, a lot of these Quidditch players do not only use this potion on the field."

The majority of males in the room sniggered, including Draco. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Looking to enhance your performance are you, Malfoy?" Hermione commented quietly, her eyes never leaving the front of the room.

"You should listen to this," Draco told her, without skipping a beat. "I'm sure Weasley needs all the help he can get."

Hermione's mouth made a perfect 'O' shape as she slowly turned her shocked face towards Draco.

" ... So just work with the person next to you today and hand in your completed potion at the end. The second part of this mix will commence in tomorrow's class. The instructions are on the board. Begin!"

"I'll get the ingredients then, shall I?" Draco didn't wait for an answer before heading up to the front of the classroom to collect the school provided ingredients, leaving Hermione in a state of surprise. Her only Draco-free minute for that whole lesson seemed to last mere seconds.

As soon as Draco got back to their table with a handful of ingredients, he dumped it all between them and pulled out an old wooden cutting board from under the desk.

"Here, you cut, I'll mix." His smirk was met with a sharp glare.

"Actually ... " Draco began as he pulled the small knife out from the desk drawer. "I don't really trust you around me with one of these."

Hermione snatched the knife out of his hands.

"I know perfectly well how to cut, thank you!" Hermione assured him. "I'm not an imbecile."

Draco, knowing this comment was directed at him, slowly turned to find Hermione's boyfriend hacking away at the shell of a large beetle.

"And to think that poor beetle probably had a bigger brain than him ... what a shame," Draco said in mock remorse.

Hermione ignored him and began cutting up her beetle shell, but much more neatly than Ron had been. The beetle had been an odd ingredient to add to the mix, but Hermione had read somewhere that these beetles were bred and only the most healthy were picked to be used in these types of potions. Hermione didn't see what healthy really meant when they were dead, but potion making had always been a very precise art.

Draco started measuring a couple of liquids in small vials, adding them to the cauldron that was half-filled with boiling water, as had been instructed. One liquid was blood red and Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if it actually was blood. But from what, she did not know.

Another liquid was a glittery gold one that seemed to be fizzing in its vial. After adding both of these he turned to Hermione.

"See, Gryffindor colours - I told you your house needs help."

The look on Hermione's face made Draco quickly change the subject.

"You done with the beetles?" Draco asked shortly. Hermione, who had just brushed them into a small bowl, thrust them into Draco's chest. She didn't even look at him as he poured them into the cauldron, she simply continued chopping up ingredients. And so it continued like this for the rest of the lesson.

One hour later, Snape finally announced the end of class.

"Stop! Everyone pour your potion into the vials provided and place them on my desk with both yours and your partner's names on it."

Draco added one last sprinkle of crushed dragon-fly tails before pouring it into the large vial.

"Will you do the honours?" He asked Hermione, holding the vial in front of her. With a wave of her wand, a large white label appeared on the side of the vial bearing "Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy".

"Cute, Granger. Are you going to put a love heart around it too?" Draco asked sarcastically before heading to place it on Snape's desk. By now, Hermione looked ready to throttle him.

"Now, just before you're dismissed I have an assignment for you all," Snape announced.

Suddenly the classroom was filled with groans. "And I'm only going to hand it out once. If you lose it you immediately fail this section. All papers will be tested for copying upon submission, and even if it is just the blank assignment sheet that is copied, I'll still make sure of it that you receive a fail mark."

Snape looked at every single person in the class, his eyes slowly scanning the room.

"Do not lose these," he warned, waving his wand and an assignment sheet flew onto everyone's desks. "Class dismissed!"

As the bell sounded, Hermione made her way to Ron's table.

"Hey are you alright?" She asked, kissing him softly on the lips. "You seem a little stressed. Did Dumbledore give you bad news?"

"What? ... Oh, yeah - no, he didn't. Just a warning, yeah - a warning. Nothing to worry about," Ron insisted.

"Well if you're sure-"

"Miss Granger, unless you also wish to land yourself a detention, I suggest you leave," Snape warned.

"I'll see you after morning break," Hermione whispered to Ron before leaving the practically empty classroom. As soon as she closed the door she thought about how many detentions Snape had been giving Gryffindors lately. First Lavender with three detentions in one week, and now Ron.

Maybe I should complain.

Warm hands grabbed her arm, causing her to gasp and spin around.

"Wow, I'm not that scary am I?" Draco asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, her heart-rate regulating. "You'll be surprised."

"Now that's no way to treat a fellow prefect, is it?" Draco said patronisingly. "We're supposed to be setting an example!"

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

Wow, people sure seem to be asking me that a lot lately.

"Just to be friends," Draco told her. "I can be friendly."

"To a Gryffindor and a Mudblood?" Hermione exclaimed. "I don't think so."

"I'm not as bad as you think, Granger," Draco insisted.

"Well I guess you'll just have to prove that, wont you?"

With those final parting words Hermione brushed passed him and up the corridor without a single look back.

Hmm... Draco pondered thoughtfully, various 'good guy' scenes playing through his head.

Yes I will.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time Draco reached the Slytherin Common Room for morning break, he had entirely formulated a fool-proof plan in his head to get Hermione to see him in a different light. All he needed was a sneaky and willing Slytherin; that wasn't himself - simple!

As soon as Draco stepped into the Common Room, he spotted the Slytherin he needed - Nelson Barrett, a tricky and cunning fourth year.

"Barrett!" The fourth year turned from his group of friends at Draco's call.

"Yeah what?" Nelson replied, cocky as he strutted over towards Draco.

"Want to make a few quick Galleons?" Draco shone a handful of gold in his face. Nelson eyed it greedily, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"What do you have in mind?"

~Marauders Gal~