"The Gryffindor Princess and Her Syltherin Prince"
Disclaimer: Still don't own anything, after so long of fanfic-ing...
A/N: Written for dramione_duet over at LJ. Haven't posted anything here in ages. =D
"Draco, please," Blaise pleaded, "I need your word for it."
Draco snorted. "I am always on my best behaviour, Blaise. You know that."
Blaise rolled his eyes. "The last time I brought a woman back to the ship, you scared her so much that she tried to drown herself."
"But she didn't and that's what matters."
"Draco…" Blaise said threateningly.
"Why are you being so adamant on this, Blaise?" He raised an eyebrow. "Who is she?"
"She's…different, Draco. She's not like the others." Blaise's tone was light, but he had a hard look in his eyes. The unspoken words were clear to Draco. I will not hurt her.
"I won't do anything," Draco insisted, again, turning around to pour himself a brandy.
"That's not good enough. I need your word that you won't try to intimidate her."
Draco chuckled. "Intimidate?"
Glaring at Draco, Blaise gritted out, "Draco, I'm serious."
"So am I." he replied evenly, staring straight into Blaise's eyes while he set his glass of brandy on the table between them. "You just have to take my word for it, don't you?"
It wasn't too hard to find out who Blaise's mystery woman was once Draco had set his mind into it. He'd flipped through the attendance list in search of a familiar name. His eyes closed in on the single name on the list. What in the name of Salazar was Blaise thinking? Did he know how much trouble he'd gotten himself into this time?
He found her on the deck of the ship, with —not surprisingly— a book. A thousand insults passed his mind as he was looking at her than, but in the end, "Granger" was the only intelligent thing Draco thought of to say. He had to keep himself from grimacing at the unruly brown hair that was piled up her hair in messy knot.
Had she been surprised at his appearance, she did not show it.
"Malfoy," Granger replied with the hint of a bite, "It's…nice to see you." But the small frown on her face told him that she didn't truly mean it.
That made the two of them.
"Touché." He managed a small smirk. He had promised Blaise that he would be on his best behaviour, no? "I had no idea you were acquainted with Blaise."
"Who I am acquainted with is none of your business. Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do," she retorted and turned her back on him, preferring to turn back to her book.
Draco almost chuckled.
This was going to be interesting.
"Hermione, you are not going to like this, but I have to warn you that Draco's on the ship too." Blaise told her that night as they were dining in his suite.
"I know. I've met him." She managed to smile at his bewildered look.
Blaise didn't say anything, but he looked uneasy. "Was he…" He paused to take in a breath. "Was he rude to you?"
Hermione shook her head. "We didn't speak much."
Blaise nodded. "I feel obliged to tell you beforehand that Draco has a long existing history of either bedding my girlfriends or hating them. As lovely as you may be, I believe you'd fit into the second category in Draco's book. I don't want you to end up like that last girl, she almost drowned herself."
At this, Hermione laughed. "Don't worry, Blaise. I think I'd fare much better than that. Malfoy doesn't intimidate me."
At that, Blaise brightened up considerably. "If at all," he grinned, "I think you intimidate him, Hermione."
"Let's hope I do."
Though Hermione made it a personal quest not to run into Malfoy anymore, she found that it was quite a difficult task seeing that he was following her everywhere.
Finally, she decided to just confront him to save herself all the trouble.
"Why are you following me everywhere?" she fumed as she walked towards him.
"I know what you're playing at, Granger. You might as well give up." He sat his glass of martini down on the table in front of him.
"What are you talking about?"
For a moment, Draco thought that she actually looked genuinely confused. She was a good actress; he was going to give her that.
"Granger, Granger… I have a proposition," he said softly, icily. He motioned for her to take the seat opposite him and she did. "You don't mess with my best friend and I won't mess with you."
"What?" She ran her fingers through her hair. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Malfoy."
Draco sighed. So this was how she wanted to play. "Look, Granger," he hissed, "You can cut the act out now. I know about the Ministry's elaborate plan and your role in it." He paused for a moment to let his revelation sink in. "I'm not going to tell anyone else if you let Blaise off. I don't know what Blaise did to get swept into this whirlwind of trouble of yours, and I don't really care. Just don't hurt Blaise and we can work the other things out."
Hermione gaped. "I… You…" She blinked to clear her thoughts. "Let me see if I got this right. You think that I'm in cahoots with the Ministry and that I'm trying to do Blaise harm."
"No," he snorted, cutting in almost immediately. "That's the thing. You aren't going to do Blaise any harm at all. You're just going to trick him into falling in love with you and even marrying you just to show the wizarding world that the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys' and coexist in peace."
"That's absurd!" she exclaimed angrily. "I don't know where you heard that from, but it is nonsense. What would the Ministry gain from that?"
He let his lips tip up into a smirk. "Granger, Granger… Someone high up in the Ministry has been doing things that he shouldn't have been caught doing. Another someone else found out and used that fact to his advantage."
She rolled her eyes. "You are mad, Malfoy. Obviously."
He sighed tiredly. "I thought I made myself clear that you can stop the act." He took a swig of his martini. "Now we can do this two ways. Number one, you can leave Blaise of your own accord." Their eyes locked and Draco smirked. "Number two, I will make you leave Blaise. So what's the deal, Granger?"
She stood up from her seat and stared down at him. "I don't know what your problem is, Malfoy, but if you want me to leave Blaise, that's never happening." With one last glare at him, she stalked off.
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "If that's the way you want it, then let the games begin."
"You seem a little out of focus tonight, Hermione," Blaise commented as she stepped on his foot again, "Not that I'm complaining, of course. I do enjoy winning Hermione Granger for once."
Her eyes flicked through the ballroom, trying to spot Draco Malfoy. While she believed that the Ministry would not have come up with such a harebrained plan, she knew that there were people on this cruise that would.
"Hermione?" Blaise called again, pulling her out of her reverie.
"Yes?" She focused back onto Blaise. She wondered if she should tell Blaise what Draco was doing, but she hesitated. Did she really want to put thoughts into his mind that weren't there in the first place?
"I was just saying that you look out of focus, Hermione. Are you feeling ill?" He brushed a curl away from her face. "I could just take you back to your suite."
She shook her head and gave him a small smile. "I was just thinking about this book I was reading."
"Figures…" he murmured. "Hermione, I was wondering if-"
He was cut off by Draco tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"
Blaise gave him a look. "What are you up to, Draco?"
"I just want to get myself acquainted with your…girlfriend. I won't do anything, Blaise."
Blaise turned to Hermione. "Hermione?"
She nodded. "I think I can handle him, Blaise."
Blaise nodded and turned to walk away, but not before he gave Draco one last warning glare.
"What are you really up to?" she asked him as soon as Blaise was out of earshot.
"I have a new proposition." He pulled her slightly closer to him as the jazz band in the background played a passionate tune.
"Whatever it is, my answer is still no." She tried to gauge how hard she had to step on his foot before he had to be admitted into a hospital.
"Don't even try," he said, smirking.
She glared at him.
"Hear me out first, Granger." They narrowly avoided knocking into a drunkard. "Blaise was neutral in the Final War. He wouldn't be the perfect person for your plan." He paused to catch his breath. "I know of someone better."
She sighed. "Malfoy, you have a startlingly creative imagination."
He ignored her and went straight to his point. "Why have Blaise, the guy who choose to be neutral in the war, when you can have me, the son of Voldemort's right hand man?"
She gaped and in her shock, she almost tripped. He caught her easily, but the mocking smile on his lips did not go unnoticed by her.
"What are you trying to say, Malfoy?" She looked up straight into his eyes.
He looked back evenly at her. "I'm saying that the Gryffindor Princess needs her Slytherin Prince."
Hermione laughed. "You're trading yourself in for Blaise?" She snorted. "What makes you think I'd ever prefer you over him?"
"You don't," he said bluntly. "But I'll make you."
The song came to a halt and she pulled away from him, glaring at him as she walked away.
He smirked to himself. Granger was going down. Very, very soon.
Early next morning, Draco decided to take a walk on the deck, thinking to catch the sunrise. It proved to be a wise decision for when he rounded the second corner, he saw her.
"Granger," he greeted, coming to a halt beside her, "It's early for you."
She tipped her lip up in a faint smile. "I wanted to catch the sunrise."
Her body language and the tone of her voice told him that she was feeling upset. A few days ago he might have taunted her about it, but now he found that he didn't want to.
"Where's Blaise?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"He said he had a floo-conference this morning with a company from Africa." She shrugged. "I won't want to bother him."
He frowned.
This wasn't the first day he knew Blaise. Blaise never liked having floo-conferences, much less on his beloved cruise with his beloved girlfriend by his side. Judging by what Granger said, he supposed that she didn't believe in Blaise too.
"Must be that diamond tycoon," he fibbed, though. For what reason he couldn't exactly pinpoint. He just didn't feel that Blaise should lie to Granger, of all people, like that.
She shot him a wry look. "You don't have to lie for him."
He shrugged, but otherwise said nothing.
They were both silent for awhile as the sun made its journey up, painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
"Thank you, Malfoy," she said all of the sudden.
He frowned. "What for?"
"Watching the sunrise with me."
He caught her in one of the exclusive game rooms of the cruise the next morning. "'Morning, Granger," he greeted cheerily, but she gave no indication that she heard or saw him. "I must say… I do like it when women play hard to get. It just makes the sex later better."
She flinched in disgust. "Must you ruin a perfect morning?" she sighed.
"You are being melodramatic, Granger. I'm hardly ruining your perfect morning." He took a seat opposite her. "Besides, if your idea of a perfect morning is playing chess by yourself,
I'm glad to ruin it for you. You can thank me later."
She let her lips tip up in a reluctant smile. "A perfect morning is a peaceful morning, and a peaceful morning is one in which I wouldn't have to see you."
He placed a hand above his heart. "Oh how you wound me, Granger. And here I am, just trying to be nice." He moved his queen to capture her rook.
She frowned at the capture and immediately moved her knight to protect her king. "You are never 'just nice', Malfoy."
"You can't say because you don't know me." His eyes thinned as he assessed the chessboard. "We should remedy that by getting to know each other better. I am Draco Malfoy and I am a whiz at chess."
She chuckled. "For a person who is losing quite badly, you are quite full of yourself."
"Oh, really?" he asked, moving his bishop to capture her second rook. "Seems like you are out of rooks, love."
"And you," she said, a grin locked tight in place as her bishop captured his queen, "are out of a queen."
"This is war, Granger." He glared at her remaining chess pieces.
"You are game, Malfoy."
She was preparing to go to bed and was smoothing out her nightgown when she heard a knock on her door. Frowning, she walked barefoot towards the door to open it.
"Malfoy?"
He smiled. "Still up, Granger?"
"Obviously," she answered.
"Can I come in?" he asked. She stepped aside to let him in, wrapping her robe around her body.
"What can I do for you, Malfoy?" She cocked her head to one side as she sealed her robe. "You are here for a specific reason, are you not?"
He nodded rather curtly, took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "I just wanted to let you know…" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.
"Yes?" she asked, amused.
His lips parted, but no words came.
Her lips twitched into a grin. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Wouldn't be so bad if a cat did," he muttered, sighing.
She chuckled. "Just spit it out."
"I need to talk to you," he said.
She choked on a laugh. "I gathered."
He shot her a glare. "It's about Blaise." At her raised eyebrow, he continued, "I just thought you should know that…" He tried to find the right words, but found that his tongue just wouldn't cooperate.
"That?" she prompted.
He closed his eyes and let out a breath. "I've seen how the two of you have been acting around each other and…" He licked his lips, "I am convinced now that you are well suited for Blaise. I take back my objections on your relationship."
"What about my conspiracy with the Ministry?" she asked, a single eyebrow arched neatly.
He rolled his eyes. "You are never going to let me forget that, are you?"
Her mocking smirk was the only answer.
"Another floo-conference?" Draco asked as he caught her by the pool. "Don't you get tired of waiting for him?"
She nodded, albeit grinningly. "I've learnt to give in. Although," she turned to smirk at him, "I found out that he was speaking to a diamond tycoon from Africa."
Draco chuckled and said, "I'd say 'I told you so' but that would seem redundant." No point in letting her know that he'd subtly tipped Blaise off the night after he watched the sunrise with her. Blaise never gave any indication of what he was doing that night, but he'd assured him that he wasn't cheating.
"You seem cheery today," she commented.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
She nodded. "You look different. Did you get some last night?" She smirked. He noticed that she'd starting smirking rather frequently and wondered if she'd picked it up from him.
He smirked back at her. "Wish you were at the receiving end?"
She snorted and proceeded to splash him with water from the pool.
"You are history, Granger," he growled as he moved to push her into the pool.
"What are you two?" she fumed as she tried to patch the two injured wizards before her, "Three year old kids? Do you know how dangerous it was to do that?"
"Relax, Granger," Draco drawled, "We've done this dozens of times."
She looked over incredulously at Blaise who nodded in confirmation.
"Why in the world would two grown wizards want to fly headfirst against each other in the middle of the ocean?" she asked, her hands tucked at her hips.
"A money bet," Blaise answered, "We do it all the time."
This time it was Draco she looked over at disbelievingly. He gave her a single nod that was accompanied with a crooked smile.
"Of all unbelievably stupid things to do…" she muttered under her breath. "An Unbreakable Vow."
"What?" the two men asked in unison.
She nodded curtly, glaring at Blaise and Draco. "I want an Unbreakable Vow from you two promising that the two of you are never going to do something so barbarically idiotic ever again."
"I understand why you'd want an Unbreakable Vow from him," Draco said jabbing his thumb at Blaise, "But I'm just an innocent party who doesn't happen to be your boyfriend."
Hermione turned to direct her glare fully at Draco. "Boyfriend or not…" She whipped her wand out and directed it at him. "Unbreakable Vow or Avada. Your pick."
"Seems to me that you've been spending a lot of time with Granger," Pansy commented as the waiter brought them their breakfasts.
Draco arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Time is relative, I suppose."
Pansy smirked. "Well, if it isn't a lot of time, it's certainly more than the time she spends with Blaise. Do I sense a sordid affair?"
Draco laughed. He'd known ever since Pansy joined him and Blaise to form the Silver Trio (in contrast to Granger's Golden Trio) that she always did have a sicker sense of humour. "Think what you like. I'm merely doing my part as one of Blaise's best friends by spending time with his much neglected girlfriend."
Pansy gave him an odd look. "Blaise's been neglecting Granger?"
Draco almost snorted. "Floo-conferences," he said with a small shake of his head, "Almost every night."
Pansy had known Blaise for almost as long as he did. She'd know that when Blaise used floo-conferencing as an excuse to get away, it was just that: an excuse.
She frowned. "Do you know who?"
Draco shook his head. "And I'm not particularly interested in finding out. I won't be above using that information to piss Granger off and I don't want her going around murdering Blaise."
"You sure Blaise wouldn't mind me stealing his girlfriend for lunch?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows. Pansy had pointed out as they dined one night that Granger seemed to be spending more time with him than she did with Blaise.
She shrugged and proceeded to poke her Caesar Salad around the plate. "He's floo-conferencing his diamond tycoon again." Draco had to wince mentally as she bit her lip, looking upset. "Apparently his nationality changes every other day. The first time he was African, today he's Norwegian."
"Maybe Blaise knows many different diamond tycoons?" he asked.
She snorted. "I seriously doubt it, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."
"He's not cheating on you," Draco told her.
She kept silent for a moment and then she said softly, "You don't know that for sure."
He was going to tell her something reassuring but realized that he had nothing to say to that.
She continued to look sad for the remainder of lunch and he couldn't help the hollowness that he felt in his chest at the sight of her moping.
"Malfoy, I want a rematch," was the first thing she said to him as she walked into the cruise library.
"On what?" he asked. Then he saw that she was holding a chess set. "Admit defeat, Granger. Lose gracefully and it shall not be embarrassing."
She stuck her tongue out childishly at him and set the pieces in their respective places.
"I like this chess set," Draco commented, laughing when he noticed that they were shaped to look like real life characters. "Where's the weasel?"
She rolled her eyes at his immature name-calling. "If you're referring to Ron, he's the knight. He requested for that place specifically." She gave the pieces a secretive smile which he chose to ignore.
"What are we betting for?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Any suggestions?"
"A kiss," he suggested. "Loser kisses the winner."
He was waiting for her to pinch her lips together and roll her eyes, an action that had now become familiar to him, but to his surprise all she said was, "Bring on your best moves, Malfoy."
He smirked and started the game with, "Miscellaneous Slytherin pawn to D4."
They played in complete silence for about half an hour —sending death glares to whoever who made a single noise as they came into the library— until finally, Draco ended the game with, "Draco Malfoy to Harry Potter. Checkmate. Game over."
Hermione continued to glare at the offending chess pieces that sat innocently on the board. "I hate chess."
"I believe we had a bet…" he sang mockingly, a smirk etched firmly in place on his face.
She huffed and leant forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. Only, he turned at the last minute and their lips met for a brief moment.
She pulled away, her face sporting a scarlet blush, and murmured, "Sorry."
He shook his head and waved off her apology, trying to act like nothing was wrong. It wasn't until he laid on his bed at night that he realized that he could still feel the tingling feeling on his lips.
Great Circe in heaven.
He was acting like a schoolboy who'd just gotten his first kiss over Granger.
Granger!
Blaise's girlfriend, Granger!
He bolted up from bed at that thought. He wasn't supposed to be entertaining lusty thoughts about Granger when she was still Blaise's girlfriend. Heck, he wasn't supposed to have lusty thoughts about Granger at all!
That night, Draco chanted 'I shall not think about her' until he fell asleep.
The worst thing was that it didn't work.
She sought him out after he'd tried to avoid her for a few days.
"Are you avoiding me?" she asked, hands on her hips and one eyebrow arched. "I don't know what it was I did to make you want to avoid me, but get over it. I'm bored to tears and I desperately need you to entertain me."
She spoke a great deal more, but Draco wasn't listening in favour of trying to stop himself from thinking about how much he wanted to kiss her again.
"Malfoy?" she called, "Are you even listening to me?"
"No," came his truthful reply.
She rolled her eyes. "Figures."
He didn't say anything and neither did she. He hated how awkward things seemed to be like between them.
"I wasn't, you know," he said finally.
"Wasn't what?" she asked.
"Avoiding you."
"Oh."
Conversation then dwindled to a halt.
Draco licked his lips as she started tapping her fingers on the table next to her. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm leaving the cruise today," he blurted out. She looked up at him but otherwise said nothing. "I have to settle some business."
She looked at him and then nodded, stretching her arm across to shake his hand. "So this is goodbye?"
He looked at her outstretched hand and hesitated for a moment before shaking it. "Yeah, I suppose."
"I should go now," she said. He nodded and she turned to walk away from the deck.
"Granger!" he suddenly shouted.
"Hmm?" She turned back to look at him.
"Can I see you again tonight? I'll stop by your room before I leave."
'Please say no, please say no, please say no…' he chanted in his head.
But when she nodded, he felt his heartbeat accelerate, and that was when he knew that he couldn't possibly stand a chance against her tonight.
He wasn't even over his third knock when she opened the door.
"Hey," he said.
She gave him a small smile. "Hey yourself."
"I'm, uh…leaving." He wondered rather inanely when he'd started to run out of conversation.
"I can tell," she said, motioning in the direction where his suitcases sat, "Besides, you told me this morning."
"I'm meeting a business partner," he decided on saying. It seemed much more appropriate than 'I think I'm attracted to you'.
"A diamond tycoon?" she asked with a grin.
He laughed, grateful that she was trying to make the tensed situation between them better. "No, I'm meeting a ruby merchant in Nicaragua. I'll get you something pretty."
She laughed. "So I'll see you again?"
He swallowed. "Probably not for a month or two," he said. Or until I finally get rid of this silly infatuation I have with you. He'd probably be back for her wedding to Blaise. At that thought, his heart clenched almost painfully.
"Oh…" She licked her lips. "Then…bon voyage, I suppose," she said with a smile. "Good luck with your ruby merchant."
He nodded in thanks. "Goodbye, Granger."
"You too, Malfoy."
Then he turned to walk out. Out of this infatuation with her; out of this near catastrophe in which he'd break his best friend's heart, for real this time; out of a whirlwind of trouble.
…or so he wished he had.
Instead, he turned back to draw her into a hug, taking in her light scent of gardenias and feeling her body molding against his, her curves fitting just right into his body.
"One more kiss, Granger," he murmured, "I just need one last kiss."
He felt her heartbeat speed up, but she kept silent. "Granger," he tipped her chin up so that she was looking directly in his eyes, "please."
When she didn't refuse him, he leant down slowly to brush his lips softly against hers.
She pushed away from him slowly, almost painfully. "We shouldn't," she gasped.
He nodded "I'm sorry." I'm sorry you belong to Blaise. I'm sorry I can't have you.
He turned and walked out of her room.
And this time, he left for good.
Draco was sure that he was being possessed by some evil spirit.
It was maddening that he couldn't stop thinking about her. Everywhere he went, something reminded him of her. His mind continued replaying that scene of them kissing over and over again.
So it was to his relief when he'd caught wind that Blaise's cruise had docked that day. Knowing that he would get himself into trouble with Granger if he went to see her, he chose to visit Blaise.
Imagine his surprise when he saw Blaise and Pansy in flagrante on his couch. The couple pulled away from each other quickly and started dressing.
"Doors are made for a reason, you know?" Pansy grumbled, glaring daggers at him.
Blaise shook his head as he buttoned his shirt. "Locks too."
Draco snorted. "So are 'alohamora' spells." After a moment of processing the new changes of events in his head, his eyes widened as he said, "So she's the woman you've been cheating on! Floo-conferences, my arse."
Blaise glared. "I was floo-conferencing Pansy."
Draco snorted. "Is that what you call it?"
"No!" Blaise exclaimed, looking disgusted. "Pansy's been helping me plan my wedding proposal to Hermione-"
"Yeah, right," Draco said in undertone.
Pansy and Blaise both glared at him.
"I even helped him choose the ring!" Pansy exclaimed. "He had troubles trying to phrase his proposal. He didn't want to sound stupid."
"And then came the day when I was ready to propose," Blaise continued. "I proposed in the ballroom, during the masquerade, in front of everyone, like Pansy asked me to, and then…" he drifted off.
"Granger said no," Pansy helped him out.
Draco had to stifle his laugh. "This sounds so surreal."
"You haven't even heard the best of it yet!" Pansy added. "We think there was another guy."
Draco's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh?" he asked nonchalantly, an eyebrow arched.
"Apparently, she was planning to break-up with me the day I proposed," Blaise responded.
"You don't look particularly upset about this," Draco commented after a moment's silence.
"I'm not," he said truthfully. "I realised as I was preparing for the proposal that there were so many things I didn't know about Hermione, like her favourite colour-"
Blue.
"-or her favourite book-"
'Hogwarts: A History'.
"-I don't even know her middle name!"
Jean.
"And to think I thought that I was in love with her." He shook his head laughingly. "Then I realised that Pansy was the perfect person for-"
"Woah!" Draco interrupted. "That will be enough. Where's Granger now?"
Knock knock knock.
"Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed as she opened the door. "What are you doing-"
Before she even got the line out of her mouth, Draco had pulled her into a fierce kiss, pulling her body close to his and fisting his hand in her hair.
She pulled away, shocked. "What in the name of Merlin was that for?"
He ignored her question. "Why did you refuse Blaise's proposal?" he asked instead.
"He just wasn't the right person for me," she told him honestly, giving him a one-shouldered shrug.
"Is that just it?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.
Her eyes thinned. "What are you playing at?"
He shrugged. "I just want to know."
She bit her lower lip, thinking his question through. Finally, she said, "I decided you were right."
"About?" he asked, frowning.
"The Gryffindor Princess needs her Slytherin Prince," she said, locking gazes with him. "That is if the Slytherin Prince would still have her."
Draco's only reply was a scorching kiss.