Hermione's Little Secret

Draco finished organizing his potions ingedients in ten minutes. He really hadn't needed to, in fact, he should have saved it for some detentioned student to perform later in the week. Heaven knows, he'd have at least one student. And if it were the same as at his last position, it would be some fifth or sixth year girl who'd decided he was 'cute.'


Ah, well, there were always cauldrons to scrub out. Or reassemble. He didn't realize he was grinning so much, or had a lightness in his step that he'd not had in at least two years. Instead of taking a shower, he decided to finish cleaning and unpacking, hoping to invite his new colleague into a room that wasn't filled with boxes and wrapping paper. He used magic for the sitting area and opened his daughter's bedroom door.


"Oh, my gods." He shuddered and closed it again, considering warding it in case whatever she had in there might decide to come to life and leave, but decided against it. Maybe he could give his daughter detention with Filch, get her to learn how to clean her room. He opened the master bedroom, waved his wand and had it cleaned instantly. He should call a house-elf to perform those duties, but he'd lived mostly as a Muggle for so long that even this little bit of magic was more than he was used to. Alicia hadn't approved of him doing magic in front of her, or even mention his background. So besotted with her originally, he'd agreed. In retrospect, he should have offered to take the child she carried instead of doing the gallant thing and proposing when she told him she was pregnant. But he'd been raised as a pure-blood wizard. When one's lover ended up pregnant, one did the proper thing and offer your protection.

Draco noticed that it was barely 11:30, so he grabbed a book and sat near the fireplace to read. He had developed an affection for Stephen King novels while living in Massechussetts, so had bought as many of them as he could before returning to England, intending on reading them during his little leisure time. He smiled as he remembered his first foray into Muggle literature. He'd picked up one of Alicia's books while waiting for her to finish getting ready for one of the many parties she insisted on taking him.

'It' had caught his attention from the first sentence and when Alicia had finished preparing herself and was ready to leave, she'd had a hard time getting him out the front door. Since that time he'd been a great fan of the Muggle writer. Now, he was enthralled with an earlier work that had taken him a while to hunt down. 'Christine' was his kind of book. He wondered if he could find an old Muggle car and charm it to act like the one from the novel. It would be a great conversation starter.

The grandfather clock rang twelve times and he finished the chapter, before tossing the book on the table. He stood, stretched and flooed the kitchen to have lunch for two brought to his sitting room. Feeling like a 17 year old getting ready for a date, he rushed to his rooms and changed into his black jeans and a green button up dress shirt, leaving to top two buttons undone. He brushed his hair quickly and put it up in a pony tail. Taking a deep breath, he looked at himself in the mirror and swallowed nerviously.

"That's as good as it's going to get, Granger." He said to his reflection.

"Don't worry, she'll probably drop her knickers as soon as she sees that pontytail. The women always go for the ponies." The mirror reassured him. He scowled and wondered if he could find a charm to mute the damn thing.

"I'm just having lunch with Madame Weasley."

"Riiiight. Don't forget the cologne, luv."

"Shut up." He snarled, flushing as he had started to reach for the bottle in front of him. He put it back down and turned away from the mirror. He had a lunch date to set up.


At 12:23 Hermione stood before the tapestry, breathing deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She should have never agreed to meet Draco alone in his quarters. Dare she tell him? It was so early in the year, and she didn't want Adrianna to be stigmatized by someone finding out the truth of her biological father's identity.

"I should just go back to my quarters." She whispered and started to turn away when the stone wall disappeared and the corridor to the potions master's suite appeared. Gulping nervously, she entered and felt the wall close behind her. She advanced into the sitting room and smiled. Evidently the Slytherin liked reading almost as much as she did. Draco was nowhere to be seen, and she drifted closer to the bookshelves, running her fingers along the spines. She noticed not only well known Wizard titles, but a few Muggle ones she enjoyed, Dean Koontz, King, Frank Herbert, even a copy of 'Gone With The Wind'. She giggled, imagining the blond man curling up and reading about the fall of the south and the indulgences of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.

"I found that one in an old book shop in Atlanta, Georgia. It's signed by Margaret Mitchell. It was a good deal." Draco had come out of his room to find the woman stroking his books, making him wish he could get her to do the same to him and reminding him of what he'd viewed earlier today. His jeans got uncomfortably tight suddenly. 'Draco, you've been too long without a woman. You really need to go out and date again.' He told himself, shaking his head slightly to clear it of the image of the woman before him stroking herself to orgasm.

"Really?" She smiled and gestured to it. He nodded and watched her take it off the shelf, opening the cover gingerly.

"Yes. I spelled the page so it couldn't be damaged. Lilah's tried to read it a couple of times, but she's not interested in it."

"You are?"

"I love to read. I always have. Just something else you never knew about me."

"Inter-House relations weren't high on our priorites during our school years. I've been encouraging it here, but Gryffindor and Slytherin's have a natural tendency to hate each other. I hope that we can discourage that as the two heads of houses, Mr. Malfoy."

"I'll do whatever is in the best interest of the school and her students of course." He replied with a smirk. He thought a good hex thrown at a Gryffindor was a good learning experience. Kept a Slytherin on his toes, waiting for the retribution.

"Somehow that sounds like something Severus used to say just before one of his Slytherins hung a Gryffindor upside down in the Great Hall." She replied dryly, returning the book to it's position and rubbing her now sweaty palms down her pants legs. "How have you been settling in at the castle?"

"Things seem so different but never changing, you know? I like the new start." Draco motioned to the chairs and guided her over. He watched her as she sat gracefully and crossed her legs.

"I know. I've never really left the castle, but every year with new students is different for me."

"I bet. I asked you here to apologize, about everything I ever did, said, even thought about you for the entire time we were together in school."

"Everything?"

Draco's eyes darkened as he remembered the night she was thinking of. "Almost everything, Hermione. I'm sorry for not being gentler, but not for taking you." His gray eyes never left hers. She swallowed and wished she had something to drink. "I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I won't speak of it again, I just wanted to know that but the one exception we both remember, I'm sorry for being a git."

"Thank you, Draco." She whispered hoarsely.

"I didn't have you come down here to get all sad. I really wanted to spend some time with someone other than Severus, chat. We do have some things in common. Daughters, single again, professors, and heads of houses."

"I do have a son also."

"And except for the curls he looks just like his father. Poor kid." He drawled. Hermione frowned at him and he laughed. "Hey, I can't change my Slytherin tendencies overnight."

"Why'd you come back?"

"Because my wife and I divorced, and I didn't want to remain in America. Alicia was a bitch and wanted nothing to do with Lilah anyway. I figured my daughter would do better in the wizarding world in which I'd lived, than the hodge-podge of the States."

"She didn't want her own daughter? How horrible."

"Alicia is a Muggle, who had never known a thing about magic before meeting me. We got married after she discovered she was pregnant, which later I found out was planned, then I told her about my heritage and the child's possible one. It wasn't a pretty sight. When Lilah was three she came into her power in a very big way, scaring the shit out of her mother. Alicia blamed me for having a 'weird' daughter and that was the beginning of the end. She stayed with me long enough to realize that she wasn't going to get any of the Malfoy fortune."

"That's terrible, treating your own daughter like that. She's such a lovely girl, too, and as polite as most ten year olds can be."

"Yeah, I try not to ask the impossible of her in that regard." He laughed and thanked the house elf who arrived, setting the table with their meal. Hermione smiled and started filling her plate.

"Sorry. Didn't have breakfast."

"Hey, better than Alicia. She was 90 pounds sopping wet with all her clothes on. Severus told me what happened to Weas--Ron. I am sorry that someone of my family hurt you so horribly."

"Bella LeStrange had nothing to do with you, Draco. She was out to get any Auror who found her. Ron and Harry were just the ones to do it. But thank you for the sentiment. It's been a long time."

"But it still hurts."

"When did you get so understanding?"

"I grew up. I didn't lose someone like you did, Hermione, but my family's in shreds, my daughter doesn't understand why her mother doesn't want anything to do with her, and I've not been with anyone in a long time." 'Why the fuck did you say that, you dumbass!!!' The little voice admonished him while he finished piling food on his plate. "That was too much, wasn't it. Forgive me."

"I understand the feeling, Draco. It was only Ron...and you." She whispered, looking down at her plate. She was wondering just about the same thing, ignoring the inner voice just as much, too.

"I feel like a sixth year, blushing and everything."

"I can't believe that you ever blushed, Draco Malfoy."

"You'd be surprised at that, Gra--Hermione. Sorry. Old habits." He cleared his throat and poured juice first for Hermione, then himself, sipping to keep his mouth occupied.

"It's alright. All ready for the students?"

"As I'll ever be. Any repeats I need to keep an eye out for?"

"THe Slytherins." She grinned cheekily. "Seriously, there are a couple students in Ravenclaw, I swear should have been sorted into Slytherin or Gryffindor. Pranksters like Fred and George Weasley level." Hermione told the new teacher about Bryan Candel and Pter Blunt, fifth year friends in Ravenclaw always spending time in detention. Draco started laughing at some of their antics.

"I'm going to have my hands full?"

"You're new. They're going to try and eat you alive."

"They can try, Madame." He grinned evilly at Hermione. She laughed. Hermione couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Finishing her sandwich, she leaned back in the chair, sipping her juice. Draco watched her from the corner of his eye, trying to remind himself that she was a colleague, hopefully a new friend. She was as pretty as he remembered her from school, more filled out though, softer. She'd tamed her wild mane, like when Krum had taken her to the Yule Ball in their fourth year. He had watched her while with Pansy, too, back then, but hadn't realized he'd been attracted to her.

"I can't believe the summer went by so quickly." Hermione sighed aloud, closing her eyes for a moment. She hadn't thought she'd be this comfortable just relaxing in his company, but she was. She still worried about Adrianna and what if anything, she should tell Draco. She'd give herself a little while. It's not like he needed to know. "I should get back upstairs and finish before the students arrive. Severus wants me waiting for the first years in the front entrance with the sorting hat. He hopes some of them will be frightened by the rag."

Draco laughed and stood, extending his hand to help her up. She smiled and allowed him to aide her out of the comfortable chair. Both noticed, but neither mentioned that he held her hand while walking her to the entrance to his suite. As the corridor appeared with his muttered password, he turned to her and pulled her closer to him. She held her breath, feeling his body heat through both his and her clothes.

"Thank you for a lovely dining experience, Madame Weasley."

"Hermione. Thank you, Draco, for everything." She whispered back hoarsely. His head was lowering towards hers and she wondered if she'd experience his kiss again.


A/N~~hahahaha! yep, new chapter and a cliffhanger? you wanna kill me huh ? LOL it's ok, I just had to do it. More is coming, don't worry. Please review, I really like hearing from everyone.

thanks for the encouragement, ladies, hope to hear from you soon.

marti