The beginning of this chapter might seem a little odd compared to my last 8, but this was the only way I could do it without having one chapter as Draco's POV and then the next chapter as Hermione's POV. If you write that way…good for you! I enjoy reading them…but I'm just too damn lazy to do the same chapter twice.
As always, enjoy! Oh, and review…pretty please. I love hearing from all of you! It absolutely makes my day.
CHAPTER 9
A GAMBLING MAN
Malfoy appeared in the Great Hall first and sat down in his usual spot at the head of the Slytherin table. He was trying desperately to keep a huge smile from forming on his face. It would not be the Malfoy-way, to let his housemates to see him grinning like an idiot. There were appearances to keep up, after all. There would be way too many questions….and he didn't know how to answer them just yet.
"Zabini."
"Malfoy."
"I'm famished", he said stabbing his fork into a waffle. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Not much really", Blaise said staring groggily at his coffee. "You need to schedule the remedial flying lessons for the younger students. They're waiting for your word on a time….and so is Madame Hootch.
Malfoy flicked his wand and the pitch schedule appeared. "Monday from 4:00-5:30pm is available….let's do it then. That will give me time for a quick shower and some dinner before the prefect's meeting at 7:00pm". Malfoy flicked his wand again and his name appeared in those time slots on the schedule and then the whole thing disappeared.
Blaise looked up from his coffee, "Wait, you're going to a prefect's meeting?", he said with surprise in his voice.
"Yes, I am".
Zabini raised his eyebrow at him.
Malfoy gave an exaggerated sigh. "It's been advised that I start attending. Anything else?"
"Hold on, Granger just walked in". It was Blaise's turn to watch Hermione today. He stifled a yawn. 'Why did they even bother anymore, it's always the same. Straighten plate, silver, goblet, napkin…..then she serves herself……blah, blah, blah.'
"Oh….and?", Malfoy inquired without looking up from his plate. He really shouldn't have told Hermione about the bet, but he had been attempting to make conversation. As Blaise ran the play-by-play, he wondered what she would do.
"She's sitting down in her usual spot and saying hello to Potter and Weasley".
"Uh, huh…"
"Now she's turning towards Weasley's sister and is speaking with her".
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"What are you studying today Hermione?", Ginny asked.
Hermione turned to her. "How to relax", she replied with a smile on her face.
"What?" Ron, Ginny and Harry all said at the same time.
"I'm not studying anything today. I'm going to relax…maybe pick up a few things in Hogsmeade. I didn't get much done yesterday, besides research".
Being head girl had its privileges. The heads could go into Hogsmeade every weekend of the school year if they wanted, and for both days. The other students were only permitted on Saturdays and only on specific weekends.
Ignoring their stares of disbelief she asked, "What are you all doing today?" and began looking around the table for something to eat.
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"Yes, and what about the place setting?", Draco asked trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Wait a second…she's turning back to the table and is looking around…"
"Yes…and…."
"I don't believe it", Blaise said.
"What?"
"She…she…."
"Zabini?"
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Hermione was famished. She had worked up such an appetite. She thought back to their evening and morning together. 'He had been so wonderful. Merlin, this really is going to be complicated'. Shaking the stressful thoughts from her mind she picked up her fork and….
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"She just picked up her fork, stabbed it into a waffle and is currently searching for the syrup", Zabini finally said in total shock.
Malfoy looked up at Zabini and then to the Gryffindor table. 'I'll be damned…I don't believe it', he thought. 'I won!'
As Malfoy looked to the Gryffindor table, the rest of the Slytherins turned to look as well.
There was a chorus of letdowns from the table causing the rest of the Great Hall to look to them in confusion. He caught Hermione's eye and they just stared blankly at each other.
Malfoy turned back and calmly resumed eating. "Who has my winnings?", he asked Blaise.
"Uh….."
Pansy came rushing over with a large bag full of galleons and nudged Blaise over so she could sit next to Draco. "Oh Draco darling, the mudblood actually changed her routine, I can't believe it. Oh sweetie, you're so clever…you knew one day she'd do it! When are we going shopping? Does anyone know when the next Hogsmeade weekend is? I saw a great dress in one of the shop windows yesterday…you're going to love it. You could go into town today and ask them to hold it so I can try it on, oh and the matching shoes too…"
Malfoy did a mental eye roll. "We?", he inquired.
Pansy was stilling rambling on "…they were so darling with a conservative heel and a cute little bow in the front. The next weekend, we can buy the outfit and then go to a nice dinner after we pick out the engagement ring…oh, Draco, I want a nice big diamond, say I can have it, please?"
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Hermione looked up with everyone else in the Great Hall when a collective groan came from the Slytherin table. She saw Malfoy staring at her with a blank look on his face and then watched as Pansy went bouncing over to him with a bag in her hands.
'The bet', she thought, 'he just won the bet…I totally forgot'.
Pansy pushed Blaise over on the bench, sat and was now talking animatedly with Malfoy. Hermione's stomach turned. All thoughts about spending the day with Draco immediately disappeared. He'd be spending it with her. Pansy's shrill voice carried all the way across the Great Hall, "….pick out the engagement ring…oh, Draco, I want a nice big diamond, say I can have it, please?"
'Oh, God', she thought. I'm so stupid…everyone knows that Pansy and Malfoy are expected to marry…that's all the gossip seemed to revolve around this year. Hermione put down her fork and swallowed hard trying to keep her waffle from coming back up.
Ginny looked at her, "are you okay, 'mione?"
She could barely take her eyes away from Malfoy and Pansy. "Too much syrup", she said quickly. "I think I'll lie down a bit before going to into town…enjoy your day…I'll see you all later". She got up and hurried out of the Great Hall trying desperately not to be sick.
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"Uh, Pansy darling", he said in his best aristocratic drawl. "I believe I won this bet, not we".
"But Draco, I thought, since you have your winnings, we wouldn't have to wait until after graduation to get engaged. We could do it now, everyone expects…"
He cut her off, "Pansy, it's taken me 6 years to win this bet and I'm going to enjoy its spoils as I see fit". He glanced towards the Gryffindor table and found that Hermione was halfway to the exit. He couldn't wait to get back to the common room to thank her properly for winning his bet for him. But he had to wait. It would look odd if he followed her out. They had a lot of things to figure out before made their relationship, or whatever it was they had, known to everyone. They had to be extremely cautious. There were very few people who were going to be happy about the news, and Pansy wasn't one of them.
Pansy put her hand on his arm, "you do want to get married, don't you Draco?", she asked with a nervous tremble to her voice.
"Pans, I really don't want to discuss this now". He gently took the bag of money from her. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have some shopping I'd like to do in Hogsmeade today". He got up and left the Great Hall without so much as a backwards glance at her.
"What's going on with him Blaise?", she asked in a worried tone. "He doesn't seem like himself".
"I don't know….seems like the same old Draco to me", Blaise replied shrugging his shoulders.
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By the time Hermione reached the common room, her eyes were full of tears. She couldn't believe after the night, and morning, she and Draco shared, he would go back to Pansy. 'Sure, they hadn't defined their 'relationship' or whatever you want to call it, but still….Pansy? Okay, so she's a pureblood like him and I'm…not. But he told me last night that he had been wrong…. and the fact that I was muggle born didn't matter to him anymore.'
She threw open the balcony doors and stepped out. 'This was where it all started', she recalled bitterly. 'It had been such a wonderful night…the flying, him holding me so protectively in his arms…the snogging on the couch….the intimacy we shared in his bed. I should have known that's all it would be to him…something to do to pass the time. I'm such an idiot,' she thought. 'How could I let myself believe that he would actually want me?' A tear slipped down her cheek. 'My first time was supposed to be special……and oh God, did he make it special. And now I'll never have anything like that again.' She never ever imagined her first time would be with Malfoy. But now that she experienced what the other girls only gossiped about, she didn't want anyone else. The situation was bitterly ironic…now that she wanted him, she would most likely never have him again.
'Whoever said it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, was full of it. He's Pansy's, not mine….and it hurts like hell'.
She was still thinking about life without Malfoy when he stepped outside to join her.
"Bravo! Bravo!", he said clapping his hands, "you were brilliant! I don't believe you did it! Fantastic. Bloody wonderful. That deadpan look you shot me after you started eating the waffle was perfect! You are amazing, do you know that?". She was standing with her back to him. "The jaws of everyone at my table dropped to their plates", he said walking over and standing behind her. He reached up and started massaging her shoulders. She stiffened at his touch.
"What's wrong?", he asked immediately serious.
"Wrong? Oh, nothing. Why would anything be wrong?". Though she tried to hold back her true feelings, her voice was full of anger, sarcasm and hurt.
"Hey", he said gently as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What is it?"
"Nothing, I hope you have a great time spending that money on Pansy Parkinson". She turned and he could see her tear streaked face. She tried to pull away from him, but he kept a firm hold on her.
"What are you talking about?"
"I saw her! She was all over you. Hell, I heard her! Talking about spending the day shopping with you on the next Hogsmeade weekend…picking out the engagement ring." She finally got out of his grasp and started to walk away from him, but he grabbed her wrist and spun her back around to face him.
"Oh, you did, did you? Well, if you would have stayed around you would have heard my answer", he said getting a little angry, but then he looked into her eyes and immediately calmed down. 'She's jealous', he suddenly realized. "I told her that they were my winnings to spend as I saw fit. And what I'd like to do is spend the day with you like we planned. I want to take you out and spend this money on you…." He put a finger under her chin and lifted it up so he could look into her eyes, "…if you'll stop being angry and let me." He smiled at her.
"But I thought that…"
"You thought wrong. I meant what I said last night. I want to be with you", he said and kissed her forehead. "Get to know you", he kissed the tip of her nose. "Continue your lessons", he said with mischief in his voice, then captured her mouth with his.
After a few minutes, they pulled apart. They both let out a contented sigh.
Then Hermione said, "but she thinks you're getting engaged."
"I know, and that's something that I'll", she looked at him, "we'll eventually have to deal with, but not today".
They held each other. "So, Miss Granger, the day is yours. What do you want to do with it?"
"I don't know, I'm new to this whole living thing, remember? You're the teacher….I leave it to you to plan today's lesson", she said with her best impression of the 'Malfoy' smirk.
He smiled at her and shook his head, clearly amused. "Alright, go get ready and I'll see about getting the head's coach for the day". He guided her back into the common room. "Oh, bring your cloak and I'll meet you in the downstairs foyer in about 20 minutes". Mafloy grabbed his things and went to see Dumbledore about the coach, while Hermione went to her room to get her things.