Twisted Lust

The walls were dank and smelled strongly of the cool earth.
There was almost no light, except for the bit that emitted from her wand. She felt the stairs as she almost tripped. They creaked as she walked up, coughing slightly as the dust flew in the air. She felt a round opening, a little thatch door, she pushed it open and stepped into the Shrieking Shack.
She had walked that pathway so many times, yet it still had a creepy effect on her.

“Hello?” she called out, her voice magnified ten fold.

“Up here, you know the way” his bemused voice called out.

She carefully made her way up the stairs, the house slowly shifting as she moved.
Tiny Goosebumps raised over her skin, shocked by the cold night air.
As she reached the top step, her foot fell through. The crack emanating through the silent air.

“Ron, a little help”

He walked over, pulling her up from under her arms, pulling her so that she was safely perched on the top platform. She hadn’t missed him pulling her wand out of her back pocket, to “steady” himself.

He led her through the rooms, to a small room off one side. She’d never seen it before, in all her visits to the shack. Inside was a long table, one you would see in those old money houses. Stretching from one end of the room to the other, candles lit along it. A dark red table banner ran down it’s length, mismatched plates lining both ends.

“Wow, where did you find all this?”

“Surprisingly, it was all in here. We just never cared to look around. I thought it would be the perfect place to catch up. You know, avoiding the common rooms and great halls, where our conversation could be interrupted at any time.” he said, looking around, his eyes finally settling on her.

“Well, I guess we better get started. I don’t want to be wandering down that passageway at like 12 am”

She sat at one end, he sat at the other. They whipped the dinner napkins in the air, making a sharp snap in the cold, pushing cold air over their faces.
The cutlery was set out, old and rusty, the knives still containing a bit of a gleam, catching the light in odd angles.

He muttered some sort of dialect, food appearing on the table
Little roasted pheasant pies, mini quiches, a salad nicoise.

“This looks great Ron, where did you get all this food?"

“I asked the house elves, they said they would lay it out somewhere, I could just apparate it here.”

They dug in, pausing for brief chatter, talking about life here and there.

Hermione told him about being head girl, the summertime, visiting her friends at the beach, the basics of her life. Things Ron used to know all about.

He spoke of visiting his brother, his mother’s worries for Harry, how he had tried to shunt her away, Ginny growing older, the basics about his family, the stuff she always knew.

The conversation lulled for a moment.

“You know it’s weird, you never came back. Like we invited you to come over before school started, and you never did. Why didn’t you come visit?”

“Oh I don’t know. Things changed over the summer, I had new pressures, new responsibilities, things like that” she said.

“Oh yeah? Nothing we couldn’t have helped you with right?” he asked, a little less playful, a little more serious.

“No, just things. You know how people get when they’re older.”

“I have to get my jacket, I’m freezing. I thought you'd be all cold, I guess not.”

Left the room.

He came back a few minutes later, something different about him, like some sort of new found spirit.
Shutting the door behind him, muttering something.

She sat there, staring at him with her amber eyes, looking like an innocent doe.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get to spend more time together." Taking a long sip from his goblet.
“What did you really do this summer Hermione?” he asked.

“A little of this, a little of that.”

“You’re hiding something, I can see it in your eyes”

“I’m not hiding anything, like I said, a little of this a little of that”
She continued drinking from her goblet, her eyes disappearing behind it.

“Were you surprised that I asked to meet you here?”

“No, not really”

“Not really? Not really? You don’t expect anything do you?”

“No, what should I expect, is something bad going to happen?”
Sounding so innocent and carefree.

He stood up, walking over to the window.

“A thing I always liked about this shack is it’s solitude. It’s far away, no one dares come near it, no one can hear anything.”

“Yeah. Perfect for killing.”

He looked over his shoulder and smirked at her.

“How unfortunate. Especially when one has no wand, when I am the only one who has the wand.”
He smiled again, looking like he'd won the lottery.

She gazed back at him, not breaking her eye contact.

“You know?”

“Know? Don't be stupid.
Of course I know”

“How bizarre. If you know, then why did you come?”

“To see how you are.” she said, her face betraying no emotion.

“I’m sure you only came so you could find out why. Why we did it. Why I did it. Why you’re best friend would have destroyed you.”

She remained silent, still gazing at him intently. He continued.

“I still remember when I was given the opportunity. I was having a drink at the Leaky Cauldron and he came in. Came in, sat down and talked to me for what seemed like hours. At first I thought he was crazy, I couldn't believe someone would want to do that. I was going to attack him, do something to make him stop. But slowly it made sense. And he promised me things, promised me things I had only dreamed of. Money, you, your body, all the things I craved for.”

She still stared at him, he ignored her lack of reaction.

“I didn’t think I could ever do it to you. But you had rejected me and I knew I could never have you. I never had much money, money was so tempting, it called to me, overtime it made sense. I’m sure if you had been in my position, you would have taken it.”

Still silent, it was beginning to enrage him.

“So naturally, we went forward, and we did it. I would have succeeded, you would have learned to love me, if only you hadn’t… physically impaired me, before pushing me down those stairs.”

She spoke, her voice still unwavering, much to his surprise.

“Was it the man, the master of yours who paid you?”

“Of course not, that was a common rapist we found on the streets. Useless man, but his teeth could work wonders. As I’m sure you remember”

She nodded slowly, pain could work wonders.

“So who was it?” she asked, trying not to give away her rampant curiosity.

“Just a man. Someone with great wealth, naturally. He had nothing to do with all this money,
so this idea was just a way to spend it.”

“You know. I find it funny, and I’m sure I will in the future. That of all the things you were offered, you immediately accepted the role as the servant boy, such a revelation of your character.”

Her comment stung, stung him hard.
He quickly made a few steps towards her, grabbing her neck and whispering in her ear.
“You remember this don’t you, being grabbed from behind? I thought it would be a nice touch.”

“You shouldn’t speak to me like that, not when you’re here, alone, locked in a room, locked without a wand. And I know your wandless magic fails you when you are under these situations.

The sad thing is Hermione, you’re so predictable, so predictable and so gullible, so easy to persuade.”

He sat down, watching her. She picked up her goblet, drank again, and reached over for a mini quiche. Slowly chewing while looking at him, a smile playing on her lips.

“YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY HERMIONE? WHEN YOU WELL KNOW I COULD DESTROY YOU.
I ALWAYS FINISH WHAT I START, I ALWAYS FIN-”
he started to cough, it stopped his screaming.

He started to cough even harder, choking himself, having to bend over, his body resting on the table. His face became paler, while turning an almost ghastly purple. His hands started to shake.

She looked up at him, drinking again.

“You see, that little part about me being predictable, maybe you are right.”

He was banging on the table, his breath beginning to heave.

“But then again. So are you. Your mistakes give you away, like that cut on your right hand. Yes look at it now. I do remember the feel of those hands as you held me, and I do believe when you grabbed me the other day, you’re hands, un-gloved, yes I did feel a little cut.” She replied, sounding bored and yet slightly amused, ruffling her hair.

He was racking, starting to scream in agony.

“And then again, it was so lucky to have known you. Just like you knew me. Works quite to our advantages doesn’t it?
Like. If you weren’t so, what was that word, ‘predictable’ then I suppose I wouldn’t have had time to put that poison in your cup.” she said with a smile.

He looked up at her, grabbing at his sides, trying to ease the pain. His eyes almost popping in pain, red lines running along his irises.

“So” she laughed, “how does it feel to have your insides slowly eaten out? I always thought it was a cute little poison and-”

He screamed, screamed so loud, so bloodcurdling.

“Don’t interrupt, you’ve talked enough. Now as I was saying, this particular poison, it was just so tempting. You couldn't really have been dead, so I had to buy it."

“Hermione, I” he croaked, his voice beginning to split, bile rising to his throat.

“You hate me? You love me? Blah blah blah, I’ve heard it so many times. Now are we done here? Could you tell me where you placed my wand? I may be needing it, it is quite dark outside, wouldn’t want to be attacked or raped, how terrible” she said, laughing again, laughing like a maniac.

He was slipping, the spasms were fading away, he was going to be dead in the next thirty seconds.

She crawled over to him, bending down so she was closer.

He gasped a last time, before he stopped moving. Lying still as board, dead like the master had been.

“HERMIONE!” she whipped her head around.

Draco stood there, mud on his pants, his shirt, his cheeks, he was filthy, his wand at the ready.

“Draco” she whispered, running towards him. Kissing him, kissing him, kissing him.

He kissed her back, so relieved she was ok, before noticing the body on the floor.

“Hermione, what is that?”



__________________________________
PLEASE DONT KILL ME
it was the most practical. and i had the whole idea developed
in my head. but i hoped you liked
i don't hate ron. but there were reasons
why i made it turn this way

THIS STORY IS NOT OVER. its nowhere near over
there are still quite a few turns here and there.
you'll see.

anyway. please tell me what you think.
please review. to all of you who reviewed. thanks.
i know it was bad ending on a cliffie, but wasn't it worth it?
what do you think of hermione now?

much love
and review