Hermione's Little Secret

She closed her eyes and felt his cool lips on hers, soft against her as he pressed a bit more. She gasped and opened her mouth a little, inviting his tongue to foray in. Draco sighed and turned the kiss more intimate, his tongue skating across her plump lips, teasing her.

"You're a wart!"

"You're a measly girl!"

"You suck, Weasley!"

"Malfoys should know!"

Draco and Hermione jerked apart as they each heard their children arguing in the dungeon hallway. Blinking past their attraction they hurried out of the suite to find RJ and Lilah squaring off at the bottom of the staircase, their little bodies tense and angry. If they'd had wands, hexes would have probably already been thrown.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Lilah Narcissa Malfoy, what the hell is happening here?"

"Daddy!"

"Mummm!"

The two children started talking at once, trying to outtalk the other as they gestured and yelled. Hermione pulled RJ to her side and shushed him, while Draco stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring down his daughter. The children realized the adults weren't listening and quieted down within seconds of each other.

"RJ, tell me what happened. No shouting, yelling, talking loudly, or accusatory words."

"I was playing with the guys and she came up wanting to join. We told her no and suddenly I'm hanging upside down in the tree near the school!"

"I play soccer better than all of you combined!"

"It's football, bloody American!"

"Hey, Ronald Jr. apologise, now!" Hermione seethed.

"Where I come from it's soccer and we have equal rights! Little worm!"

"Lilah!" Draco closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Tell him you're sorry."

"You said never lie, Daddy." Lilah said sweetly while sticking her tongue out at the year younger boy.

"Lilah."

"Alright. RJ, I'm sorry you're an inferior soccer player."

"I'm sorry, Lilah, that you're a stuck up bit--"

"Ronald Edmund, if that word comes out, you're grounded for so long, you might as well be a mandrake root!!" Hermione clapped her hand over his mouth. She knew which uncles to castigate for teaching her son that particular word, too. Eyeing Draco, she wondered if they could go back ten minutes before their children had arrived to disrupt the moment. Hermione grabbed RJ under the arm and started dragging him up the stone staircase. SHe turned her head to see Draco doing the same with his daugther into their quarters. His eyes met hers and he grinned at her and winked before the wall disappeared behind them. She sighed wistfully then turned her attention back to her son.

"Ronald, tell me what is going through your red head right now?"

"I really don't like that girl, Mum. She's meaner than Rianna. She don't get that the guys and me don't wanna play football with her. The girls play with their stupid dolls and we have fun. She kept answering all the questions and she sneered at me all day!" RJ struggled to get out of his mother's grasp, but she kept her grip tight, leading him up another flight of stairs, her face set in its stern matron-teacher mode.

"I can't believe you! How many times have Adrianna and Eleanore beaten you up for calling them names and refusing to let them? How many times have I told you to treat girls fairly? And Miss Malfoy's new. You should have been nicer to me. You promised you were going to be nice to her."

"No, Mum, I said I would treat her as I would my own sister." He smirked up at his mother's shocked face. Hermione stopped in the middle of the corridor, her mouth agape, as she realized how her son had conned her that morning. He hadn't lied. He and Adrianna fought worse than cats and dogs, making her wonder how Molly handled her brood, along with the other daughters-in-law who had more children than her.

"You have detention after classes with Filch every day this week. No playing, no dawdling, no anything. You will finish your homework, and report to him at three pm every day. At six you will dine in our quarters, then return to Filch by seven, until your bedtime of eight thirty."

"Eight thirty! My bedtime is nine."

"Not for the next month, mister." She stopped in front of their door and gave him a none too gentle shove into the entryway. "Eight thirty. And if you step one more toe out of line," Hermione cringed, remembering Ron's second year Howler from Molly after he and Harry had stolen the car to get to school. "You'll be off the football team."

"Mummmm!! You can't do that, I'm the best player."

"Maybe Lilah Malfoy can take your spot, then. You will apologise to her first thing in the morning, understand?"

"Oh, man, Mum. Fine!" He balked as she pointed towards his bedroom.

"No Sorting tonight either."

"Bloody hell!"

"MR. WEASLEY, get out of my sight this instant and do not come out until morning. A house elf will bring you your dinner, and I will ward your bedroom door myself." She returned the glare her son was sending her, trying to keep her own temper in check. She looked down at her watch and frowned. She and Draco had spent almost two hours talking and eating, and it was only 3 in the afternoon now. She hadn't been expecting RJ to return home until five. "Why are you home early? School just let out fifteen minutes ago."

"Uhm....me and Malfoy were sent home early. I have a letter from Ms. Playlock, Mum." He muttered, pulling a dirty wrinkled envelope from his back jean pocket. he kept his head down as she snatched it from his hand, wondering if she would be doomed to raise a Weasley with the same attributes of not only his father, but his two favorite uncles. Why couldn't he have been like Percy? Prissy and stuck up, yes, but never giving Molly much trouble. She sighed and pushed him back into his room.

"I'll read this before dressing for the Feast. We'll discuss any further punishment when I return tonight."

"You said if Uncle Severus said it was ok, I could go."

"I'm your mother and I rescind it. If you want to spend the weekend with Uncle George at the end of the month you better straighten up, mister."

"I hate this!" RJ yelled and slammed his door on his mother's startled face. Deciding to let her youngest calm himself down, she sighed and warded the door, he'd be able to open it, but not leave unless it were an emergency. She could hear things moving and crashing in his room and cast a silencing spell also. With his temper it was useless to talk to him before he was ready, just like his father. She ordered a cup of tea from the kitchens and ripped open the letter with hesitation.

"He's a jerk, Daddy!" Lilah let her father rush her back into their quarters where she stood near the fireplace, her hands fisted and resting on her hips. Standing like that he was reminded of his and Alicia's last argument before he'd left her. Draco shook his head to clear himself of that image and crossed his arms over his chest. He might as well get in the role of overbearing dungeon resident, now before the students return.

"I don't care. He's a resident here as much as you, a student at school like you. You will treat him with the respect that position is due."

"No! He told all the boys I had cooties and they wouldn't play with me. I'm way better than any of them hosers! And he's rude. You should see him eat; he doesn't use a fork like a fork but like a shovel! And he talks with his mouth full! He's fricking gross!"

"Watch your language, Miss! Rj is a boy. Boy's are notorious for acting like swine until they're much older." 'In my case, eighteen.' He reminded himself ruefully, recalling the incident in the third floor corridor. Then he remembered watching Hermione this morning and changed his mind. All men were swine, they just learned how to hide that aspect better as they aged. Hermione would have hexed him if she'd discovered him watching her like that, and entering her rooms unannounced.

"You aren't."

"I used to be. This is your home now, Lilah. You need to get used to other children. If you want to join in when they don't allow it, start another game and get other children interested. fighting is not tolerated among witches and wizards." Draco shuddered, remembering the Voldemort reign of terror. He would do his damnedest to foster inter-House friendships. It had been easier in America; boarding schools there were significantly more open, dividing students more by gender than by attributes. Not that children didn't argue, but at least he didn't have to deal with hexes thrown back and forth in his Potions classroom there.

"I hate it here! I want to go back home." She pouted at her father, her gray eyes flashing with her anger. Draco took some deep calming breaths before he told the girl exactly why they'd left New England; because her own mother couldn't stand the sight of her magical daughter and husband. She didn't need the disallusionment of knowing she only had her father and grandmother as her family anymore.

"We can't. I made a wizard's contract to work here for the next three years. You will attend Hogwarts next year. We're here to make a new life, sweetheart." He hadn't called his daughter that in a while, not since the night Alicia had thrown him out and told him to come back the next day to pick up his daughter.

"I can. Please, Daddy?"

"No. I'm sorry, Lilah. You're mother's starting her own life, and it doesn't include either of us."

Lilah stamped her foot and dropped into the chair beside her. She looked a lot like Lucius Malfoy, the grandfather she'd never known. 'Thank Merlin for that.' Draco rolled his eyes at her antics.

"I hate it here!! Please? It's not like you need to work; we're rich." She whined.

"Lilah! This has nothing to do with our wealth and the fact that I made a vow to work here and teach. Now, you're not allowed to stay after school for the next week. You will come back to the castle, remain in our quarters and go to school. That is it. Nowhere else."

"That's not fair!" She jumped up. "I won't be able to make friends or play on the team, even if that little jerk will let me!"

"You should have thought of that before you two got into your fight. Knowing Madame Weasley, her son is probably getting punished far worse than you. And I had so wanted to take you upstairs to the Sorting tonight and let you see what this place looks like filled with children."

She stuck her tongue out at her father and flounced into her bedroom, slamming the door hard enough to make several books shudder and fall to the floor. Draco growled and waved his wand, watching the books levitate and return to their proper place. This was one of those times he was thankful that his wife had kept him from talking her into more children. Damn, that girl was stubborn. He sighed and went into his room, intent on lying down for a little while before heading upstairs for the arrival of the students.

a/n~~ ok, another update. How bout that sweet kiss? hehe.

Next up, sorting.

Keep reviewing, and yeah, we'll get to some good stuff. Gotta have the angst first though to make it worth while ;-)

Marti