Stylistic Harmony

Chapter Sixteen
After leaving the Head's common room, Draco had returned to Slytherin, where he found half of his house abuzz with the news of the Ministry's destruction. Pansy Parkinson sauntered up to him wearing an outfit that left little to the imagination, and kissed him on the cheek. He shivered with disgust, and said to her,
"For Christ's sake Parkinson, go put some clothes on." He ignored every congratulations sent his way and went up to his private room. Even after his 'shower' with Hermione earlier, he still felt dirty, being in Voldemort's presence always did that to him. Throwing off his clothes, he took a hot shower in his en-suite, and then put on some clean clothes. He was having lunch with Hermione later so he made himself look somewhat presentable. The argument with her earlier had made him extremely edgy, especially because she had told him that she loved him. He poured himself a large glass of fire whiskey, needing the alcohol to clear his head. The War was starting, and Hermione loving him put her in greater danger then ever, Draco didn't think that he could fend off Voldemort's relentless probing of his mind forever. Draco still wasn't fully trusted by Voldemort, but he knew that the Dark Lord could sense the level of his power and Draco believed that it frightened him. A knock at the door knocked his train of thought, he waved his hand at the door which opened, revealing a petrified first year, Draco glared daggers at the kid and yelled,
"What the fuck are you doing knocking at MY door?" He lobbed the glass at the kid and said, "Piss off!" The first year looked positively terrified, the glass had broken just above his head, but he stood his ground, stuttering,
"Er, Mr. Malfoy, Sir, th-th-there's a g-g-g-girl at the door for you. She says it about Mr. Zabini. I t-t-think its the Head Girl." Draco stormed past the first year knocking him to the ground, saying as he passed, "Clean this mess up," gesturing to the broken glass on the floor. This was just what he needed, Hermione practically walking into the snake pit and placing herself in unnecessary danger. He sprinted down the stairs and out the door. Hermione was waiting for him, looking radiant despite the atrocious lighting in the dungeon. She had a suspiciously smug look on her face, however there were a few Slytherins hovering in the corridor, clearly wondering what the hell she was doing there, so Draco fixed an annoyed expression and said in a violently aggressive tone,
"What the fuck do you want Granger?!" She scowled,
"Zabini has buggered off somewhere and McGongall made me come get you, apparently you skipped out on some transfiguration homework and she wants me to force you to do it." Inwardly Draco was laughing, Hermione's lie was very convincing, and the fact that her voice was dripping with disdain capped it off, he replied with a tone laced with sarcasm,
"Oh Granger, it's so nice of you to take time out of you're busy, Weasel shagging schedule to help me out. No, really, you shouldn't have," she crossed her arms and started to walk off, then looked over her shoulder and said,
"Well? Are you coming?" He shrugged and followed behind her, all the other Slytherins scattered out of the way, there was something about the interaction that alarmed them. Though their Head Girl was a Mudblood, they knew she wasn't to be trifled with, she had after all just put their revered Prince in his place. Draco followed her into an empty classroom, where she stopped and turned to him, eyes blazing, the classic Malfoy style smirk plastered on her face, he chuckled,
"You really are perfecting the act of bullshitting everyone around you Love! That was a very convincing lie, you almost had me going." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him full on, tangling her fingers in the silky strands of his hair. He responded by sliding his hands down her body, resting on her arse, she pressed herself closer, feeling him against her thigh. He backed her against the wall, never breaking contact, she, however shoved him away, he made noises of protest, and retaliated by attacking her neck with his lips,
"DRACO!!!" She shouted, he pulled away pouting, "Don't make that face at me, I have something important to tell you." He pulled her down to the floor, and they both sat leaning against the wall, hands intertwined.
"So, what is it that is so important that you just HAVE to tell me, leaving me unsatisfied, not being able to shag you against this wall," he grinned wickedly at her, she smacked his arm playfully.
"Listen! After you left this morning, Blaise and I had a little chat about Ginny. Blaise is feeling kind of left out. I guess we got so wrapped up in each other we kind of neglected him. Anyway, he feels that he deserves someone too, Ginny would complement him really well. He really likes her, and I know she likes him, and she would be an asset to us. But I told him we'd have to discuss it with you first." He looked a little bit angry, but then considered it. Blaise had been a right whiny little bint recently, and the little Red Headed Weasley would be good for him. Besides it would completely screw the fuck out of Potter. He looked at her, she was biting her bottom lip, looking at him pleadingly,
"Would she be in it for the long run, or would she piss up and bugger off back to Pothead at the first sign of trouble?" Hermione shook her head,
"Harry can't provide for her like we can. She's a passionate person and Harry is boring as arse. She can be pretty powerful when she puts her mind to it, I think it would help us in the end. Besides," she leaned up and nibbled at his ear, whispering low and lustily, "Don't you think it would be, hmmm, intriguing?" He looked confused,
"How so Love?" She slipped her hand in-between his legs, grinning at him,
"Intriguing in that we could, hem hem, watch?" He looked at her utterly surprised, laughing,
"Christ Granger!" She looked hurt, pulling her hand away, he stopped laughing and pounced on her, pinning her to the ground, sliding his hand up her little denim skirt, grinning seductively, "Why not?" He purred, smiling she covered his lips with hers.

She was frozen on the spot, looking up into dark brown eyes, so deep she feared she may fall into them and never find her way out. He was staring at her with the same adoration that she saw in her dream, the same adoration that she couldn't resist. She smiled and mumbled thanks, trying to pass him, to get the hell out of there before she did something stupid. But Blaise was to fast for her, he blocked her path, smirking evilly. Adamant as she was to be as far away as possible from him, she was starting to become a little bit pissed off. Blaise could see the fire sparking behind Ginny's eyes, he was getting under her skin and it thrilled him. She tried once more to pass him, but he again blocked her, this kicked it off. She shoved him in the centre of his chest with more strength then he had expected, he stumbled backwards, she yelled at him,
"Get the fuck out of my way Zabini! And stop bloody staring at me!" She walked towards the door, before she reached it, he had caught up with her and grabbed her arm, backing her into the wall, she protested violently, smacking him round the head a couple of times, screaming and shouting, "What the fuck?! Get off me!" He trapped her between him and the wall, both hands on either side of her head. The fire in her eyes raged on, challenging him with every glare, daring him to act. He ran his finger down the side of her face, causing a chill to race down her spine, his touch relaxed her and the fire began to extinguish. The air around them crackled with energy, sparks flying back and forth, she calmed, and said with complete conviction, fixing him with a hardened stare, not conveying any emotion whatsoever, "What now Zabini? You know I won't come to you willingly. I belong to Harry and I love him. No fucking Slytherin Death Eater is gonna change that." She hoped he'd back off, but her mind was screaming at her, screaming that she wanted him close, and he was so close, she could see the flecks of indigo adorning his irises. He leaned in, his low seductive voice caressing her senses, she felt his hot breath next to her skin,
"I don't expect you to come willingly. I expect you to come screaming my name, begging me for more." Her eyes had dropped close, her head was rocked back, every one of her nerve endings were buzzing. He tipped her head back towards him, kissing her softly, invading her mouth with his tongue, she moaned in response, wanting more, needing more. But he refused to give it to her, yet. Drawing back, he whispered in her ear, "You've got a taste now baby, you're gonna crave me. I'll be waiting." With that he left her, standing breathless, her senses were ringing and it took her a while to calm herself enough to move. She had no idea how she made it back to the Gryffindor common room, but later that afternoon she found herself sitting in the armchair, staring into the fireplace, the sparks enthralling her, as the memory of Blaise's kiss danced within her memory.

Later that evening, Hermione and Draco were curled up together in her bed, their fight from that morning a distant memory. Draco watched her sleep, she looked so content, but he knew better. If her dreams were as bad as his he knew that she would be suffering. His dreams of their future were full of despair, darkness and he could see it slowly destroying her. She began to toss and turn, he stroked her back, calming her.

*****They dragged her in front of him. She could see blood glistening on his robe, his wand was twirling between his long fingers. The Dark Lord, his snakelike features shining in the moonlight streaking through the windows. They had tried to break her, but her resolve was strong. She vowed that they would never break her, what ever they did. Voldemort rose from his throne and swept towards her, cupping her cheek in his bony hand, his voice almost a hiss,
"What to do Miss. Granger, it appears that my Death Eaters have tried everything, but you have refused to offer up any information," She shuddered at his touch, defiance resonating through her, glaring back at him through darkened eyes,
"What can I say, I guess I have a higher pain threshold then most of these cowards around here. They squeal at the first fucking pin prick." He backhanded her, splitting her lip. She smirked, spitting blood and saliva in his face. The Dark Lord did not flinch, instead he wiped his face clean, and smiled evilly. Wiping the blood from her chin with the corner of his robe, he said,
"Don't worry Mudblood, I have one last trick up my sleeve," to the Death Eaters at the back of the room he called, "Bring him out!" She expected to see messy red hair, or emerald eyes staring back at her, but upon seeing the man thrown at her feet, she began to feel violently sick. Platinum blond hair streaked with blood, dirty pale skin, a pair of beautiful grey eyes stared up at her, haunted and empty. Her heart wrenched, tears filling her eyes. Draco. The Dark Lord came up behind her, grabbing her hair forcing her to look at her lover. He leant down and whispered in her ear,
"Delicious isn't it? The key to breaking you completely lies with this traitorous piece of filth. I win in both respects. Tell me Hermione, tell me where Potter is and I'll let him live." Draco spluttered and coughed up blood, he managed a low chuckle,
"She'll never break, not even if you kill me. I taught her that much." She looked down on him, the man she loved, arrogant as always. Voldemort raised his wand, aiming it at Draco's heart,
"WAIT!" She screamed, "He's staying in Diagon Alley." The Dark Lord smiled maliciously, and said,
"Liar." The flash of green light. She screamed his name. Falling to the ground, tears staining the floor. Broken.*****

She awoke screaming, he pulled her into his arms, tears were freely flowing down her face, he said,
"Hermione! Look at me." Her screaming ceased, "What was it this time Angel?" She was shaking violently,
"He killed you, right in front of me. He killed you and he made me watch. I couldn't...there was nothing I could do." He hugged her tighter, never wanting to let her go,
"It was just a dream, it wasn't real. I'll never let him touch you, he'd be dead before he could even move." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and fearful,
"It felt so real Draco, like it was happening. What if..like our other dreams? What if it happens? I can't, I can't lose you, not like that." He caressed her cheek,
"I am not going anywhere, I'll be careful, I promise." She snuggled up to him, his words reassuring her, but the feeling in her gut refused to budge and she clung to him, until sleep once again claimed her. He sat watch over her all night, he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, and he would kill anyone who got in his way.