Murder at Malfoy Manor

Hermione heard her husband's angry voice and then Ginny's telling him to shut up. She inwardly cringed, and couldn't help but sneer in disgust. She happened to glance over at Draco, who was leaning on the mantle above the fireplace, smirking at her.

She found herself wondering what was behind that mischievous look he was giving her. There was no way he could possibly know that every time she saw her husband, she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. He definitely didn't know that for years now, she had suffered in a loveless marriage, wishing with all her heart that Ron would just die so that she could be free.

It wasn't the fact that Ron could sometimes be dumber than dirt, or that she had caught him on numerous occasions betting large sums of money on Quidditch games, or even the way he liked her to pretend she was someone one named 'Patty' during sex; it was the fact that for years she had been in love with someone else that made her desperate to be rid of him. Of course the man she longed to be with was married as well, but she was sure their's was a loveless marriage as well.

Hermione was full of regrets and secret longings, and she guarded them with her life. Looking at Draco's piercing eyes, she wondered though, if he had somehow found out what lie in her heart. In a way, she hoped he had.

"Hermione!" Ron said, seeing her standing there. "What are you doing here?"

She tore her eyes from Draco and confronted her angry confused husband. "Probably the same thing you're doing here, Ron. To have dinner."

"Why didn't you tell me you got an invitation?"

"Maybe," Draco said, pushing from the mantle and coming towards them. "She wanted to get the hell away from you for a while." He stopped in front of Ron and looked him dead in the eye. "Or maybe she was expecting to see me here and that's why she kept it from you." He looked over at Hermione, "We all know that she's secretly been in love with me for years!"

Ron lunged and Draco side stepped him easily, put out his foot and tripped him, sending him to the floor. "What's wrong Weasley? Why should you care if your wife is having an affair? It's not like you hav..."

"Malfoy," Harry said, putting his hand on Draco's chest. "Can you just for once act like a grown man?"

Draco smirked at Harry dangerously. "You WOULD know all about GROWN MEN, now wouldn't you, Potter?"

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Malfoy?" Ginny said.

"You'll see, Mrs. Potter, you'll see."

"Draco, for the love of god!" Pansy said. "Just leave them alone!"

"Shut up, Pansy."

"Don't tell her to shut up!" Neville said, clenching his fists, looking murderous.

"I'll tell her whatever I want, Longbottom! She's MY wife, remember?"

"Hmm hmmm," the house elf cleared his throat. "I am presenting Mr. Blaise Zabini!"

In the commotion, no one had heard the door and they were startled when Blaise sauntered into the room, looking dashing and debonair; his black hair slicked back and a tiny thin mustache worn over his full sensual lips. The dog got up and padded over to him, licking him on the hand. He stroked its head, called it a good dog and then it went back to its resting place by the chair.

"I see the gangs all here!" he said, walking over like he owned the place and pouring himself a drink. "Potter!" he said, clapping Harry hard on the back. "Good to see you! And Ginny! So lovely. You really are a lucky man, Potter!"

Blaise glanced up from kissing Ginny's hand and caught sight of Hermione. "Why Mrs. Weasley, you get more beautiful every time I see you!" He dropped Ginny's hand and picked up hers. Suddenly, he pulled her closer, resting his other hand on the small of her back, his face an inch from hers. "Your eyes remind me of dead autumn leaves swirling in a mud puddle." He kissed her lightly on the mouth. "You're lips are like velvet drapes that have been sitting in the sunlight." He tried to kiss her again and someone shouted.

"That's enough! Get away from her!"

Everyone looked around, thinking it had come from Ron, but it was Draco who was standing there, seething with jealous anger. He took Blaise by the arm and wrenched him away from Hermione.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, searching her eyes. She gave him a small confused smile for an answer. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached up and caressed her cheek.

"Hey!" Ron said, suddenly realizing that Malfoy had his hands on his wife.

"Draco, why are you seducing Weasley's wife right in front of him? You know it's not polite!" Blaise chuckled and poured another glass of whiskey. "Not that I blame you. Look at her! She's got that ass that makes me want to grab it and knead it like bread dough!"

Pansy didn't like the way Draco was drooling over Granger. It never bothered her when he checked out other woman because she knew he only wanted sex from them but this... this was completely different! The way he was looking at her, the tender way he was touching her- why he was in love with her! He had no right to be happy!

"Get your filthy hands off my husband!" she said, stalking across the floor and pulling them apart. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. To everyone in the room, it was a kiss full of passion; to Draco and Pansy, it was disgusting.

Neville's face fell and he looked almost as if he wanted nothing more than to tear Draco limb from limb.

Hermione turned away from the kissing pair, it was hard to stomach. "So Ginny," she said like nothing was wrong. "How was your day?"

"How was my day?" Ginny said, incredulously "What the hell is going on here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Harry," Ginny said, pulling on his sleeve. "Am I the only one who thinks something is going on here?"

"No, dear," Harry said, watching Draco escape from Pansy's suction and wipe his mouth like it was diseased. "I think there is more to this party than just dinner."

Right on cue, the house elf came into the room, banged on a tiny gong he was holding and announced that dinner was ready. "Follow me to the dining room please," he said.

Everyone filed in, looked at the small decorative name cards and took their assigned seats. Down one side of the large table was Harry, Blaise and Ginny. On the opposite was Hermione, Neville and Pansy. Draco picked up his name, looked at it strangely as if wondering why he was sitting at the head of the table, shrugged his shoulders and sat down.

Ron stood uncertainly, not seeing another empty chair. "Um, where exactly am I supposed to sit?"

"On the floor like a good dog," Draco said. Harry clenched his jaw. This was not going to be a very pleasant evening.

"Sorry sir!" A tiny house elf said at Ron's elbow. He snapped his long fingers and a chair appeared at the other end of the table. "You were invited at the last minute and we forgot to add your place."

"The last minute?"

"Yes sir. We was informed that you was coming right before you knocked on the door." He pulled the chair out and then pushed it up to the table. The confusion on Ron's face was evident. "When did you lot get your invitations then?" he asked, fixing his chair and shooing the elf away.

"Earlier this morning," Hermione said. "As soon as I got to work it was waiting for me on my desk."

"Mine came this morning as well," Harry said. "What about yours?" he asked Ginny.

"I was attacked by this owl during lunch in the park. I was playing hide and seek with the children and it swooped down and just about took off my head."

Neville leaned forward and spoke to Harry. "Well, mine came this evening about two hours before I was supposed to be here. Do you suppose I was a last minute guest as well?"

"Maybe," Blaise said, "the invitations all came at different times on purpose."

"Why are we speculating when Malfoy is sitting right here. Let's just ask him!" Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Draco was about to respond, when the door swung open and a parade of house elves wearing purple tuxes, sat bowls of steaming soup down in front of them.

Ron looked down at his bowl of red liquid. "Serving blood are we, Malfoy? Is it from the innocent victims you have chained in the dungeons?"

"I'll be serving yours if you don't shut the fuck up, Weasley!"

"Language, Draco!" Pansy said, slurping her tomato soup from a highly polished silver spoon.

"I'll say FUCK when ever I want, Pansy! Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" Draco said and then starting singing the word to the tune of Jingle Bells.

"Oh VERY mature!" Ginny said, frowning in disgust.

Hermione was stifling a grin behind her hand every time he said fuck really loud at the 'HEY!" part. Everyone else was doing their best to ignore him; Neville going as far as putting his hands over his ears and humming. Only Pansy and Hermione seemed not to be bothered by his juvenile display.

He finished three rounds and then with not another word, he started to devour his soup. They all ate in silence, eyeing each other warily, wondering what the others were thinking. Nobody spoke again until the main course was served.

"The silence is KILLING me!" Blaise said, stabbing a bit of roast beef with his fork. "Somebody say something- anything!"

"Okay then," Hermione said. "Lets talk about our lives. I'm curious to know how everyone's been doing, especially you, Blaise. I haven't seen you in more than five years." Everyone turned their attention on him, waiting because of course, they were all curious. Blaise had been no where to be found for years and everyone assumed he had moved away or simply vanished from the face of the Earth.

"Me too," Neville said. "You just show up here like you haven't been missing all this time. Where have you been?"

"Well, if everyone is through with their dinner, I suggest we retire to the library and I will be more than HAPPY to tell you what I've been up to." He glanced at Draco, who nodded his head, wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.

"Sounds good to me!" he said. "Blaise, why don't you lead the way?"

Once in the comfy and cozy library, they all took seats, Ron making sure Hermione was no where near Draco and Draco making sure he was as far away from Pansy as he could get.

The house elf poured everyone a Brandy and Draco offered the men cigars. Ron and Blaise took one, lit up and puffed away. Hermione started choking on the smoke, got up from her seat next to Ron with a huff and sat down next to Ginny instead.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. As long as she didn't sit next to Malfoy, he didn't really care. "So Blaise," he said, blowing a smoke ring as big as his head. "What have you been up to all these years?"

Blaise, who was leaning against the wall looking amused, glanced around the room making sure to look each person in the eye before speaking. "Well, Weasley," he said, tapping his ashes on the floor. "I spent four years traveling to exotic lands; Italy, Egypt- Canada." He pushed off the wall and started pacing around the room, puffing his cigar and sipping his Brandy. "And for the past year I've spent every waking moment spying on all of you. Gathering little tidbits of information that I could use to blackmail you!"

"What!" Harry said.

"That's right Potter!" Blaise said with an evil grin. "I know the secrets of every person in this room!"