It Happened One Hallow's Eve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 26 ~ A Bit of Conflict

Hermione had been in the Astronomy Tower watching Severus and Harry through the telescope Professor Sinistra utilized for star-gazing. She frowned as Severus beat Harry unmercifully with the stuffed dummy, grinning as he did so. He has just horrible. Then she observed the dark wizard showing Harry a few cutting moves. Suddenly he dropped the cutlass and grabbed his arm.

“Oh no,” Hermione breathed, realizing the Potions Master was being summoned. She watched as he disapparated and Harry headed for the castle. He stopped for a moment and turned around. He had forgotten his wand. Hermione pulled away from the telescope, looking worried.

“I hope Severus is all right,” she said to herself.

Harry had told Hermione about the upcoming battle, and she was scared for him and Severus. She spent the evening showing Harry the book of offensive spells Severus had given them and showing him some of the wand movements. Harry was a quick study with charms and spells. Hermione duplicated the book for him, though when Harry retired he found the same book on his nightstand, obviously sent by the Potions Master.

Hermione made her way down the stairs, intending on meeting Harry and finding out exactly what happened. Instead of taking the stairs, she took a shortcut through the hall fireplace ending up on the third floor and heading for the stairwell. Draco Malfoy was walking up the hall apparently wandering the castle. He met Hermione about twenty five feet from the landing.

“Fancy meeting you here, Granger,” he purred, blocking her way.

“Move, Draco…I’ve got to go,” Hermione said, trying to slip by him.

“Slow down, Granger…I want to talk to you,” the blonde wizard said, moving in front of her again. Hermione scowled up at him.

“I don’t have time. I have to talk to Harry…now let me pass, Draco,” she seethed.

Suddenly Draco caught her wrist, then grabbed her wand hand before she could draw it.

“Just give me a second, damn it!” he snarled at her, pushing the witch back against the wall, his gray eyes narrowed. “Stop trying to make me chase after you!”

Hermione stared at the angry wizard.

“I’m not trying to make you chase me, Draco…I just need to see Harry. It’s important,” she said, trying to calm the wizard.

“You’re so wrapped up in Potter, Granger. When are you going to step out of his shadow and be your own person?” Draco asked her. “It’s always, Harry this and Harry that.”

”He’s my friend, Draco,” Hermione said, “I care about what happens to him.”

Draco studied her.

“It’s fine to care, Granger, but not to the extent you ignore your own life…aspects that you need to explore,” the wizard said his voice dropping low.

Hermione got a bad feeling about where this conversation was about to go.

“Listen Granger…Hermione…ever since I saw you in that dress at the Christmas party, I can’t get you out of my mind,” the handsome blonde wizard said, “It’s like you’re haunting me or something. It’s…it’s disturbing. Still I can’t get you out of my head.”

Hermione scowled at him.

“Well, you’re going to have to Draco. I’m not interested in you that way,” she said pulling her wrist out of his grasp. Draco scowled.

“Why not? I’m good-looking…rich…and well connected, Hermione. I can help you,” the wizard said, his voice dropping.

“Help me what?” she asked him, still frowning.

“Buy things. I know you will probably get a couple of scholarships, but they don’t provide for books or lodgings. I can buy what you need…set you up in a place,” he said. “You wouldn’t have to spend a dime of your own money…and I would be discreet….”

“Are you trying to say you want me to be your…your…mistress, Draco?” Hermione asked him, astonished.

Draco’s brow furrowed slightly.

“No…no…I’m just saying I’ll look after you,” Draco said, “No one would have to know it was me.”

The fact was, as bad as Draco wanted to fuck Hermione, he didn’t want anyone to know he desired a mudblood. Actually, he wasn’t sure how things were going to go after the fourth…his real purpose was to try and get a shag out of Hermione now. He thought he had a good chance since almost everyone was gone from the castle.

“I’m not interested, Draco. I’ll find a way to support myself. I can work and go to school,” the witch said.

“Why do that? Why make it so difficult for yourself, Hermione? Sleeping with me wouldn’t be a chore, believe me. I’m good. Very good. You’d have it all,” the wizard said, his gray eyes searching her face.

“I didn’t work this hard to be a kept woman, Draco. There’s no shame in making my own way. Besides, I’m not interested in you like that…I already told you,” she said, trying to slip under his arm.

“You’re not interested because you don’t know how I am that way, Hermione,” the wizard replied, “Let me show you.”

Draco pushed Hermione back against the wall and kissed her hungrily, the witch pushing at his chest and finally biting his tongue.

Draco pulled back, furious and Hermione broke free of him, running down the corridor toward the stairs. Draco stood there, trying to decide whether to pursue her or not, when he felt his pocket heat up and vibrate.

He was getting a call on his two-way mirror. Frowning after Hermione, he reached in his pocket and pulled it out. The young wizard held up the glass and looked into the handsome visage of his father.

“Hello, Father,” Draco said to the image in the mirror.

“Hello Draco,” Lucius replied, noticing his son’s frown. “Is anything wrong?”

”I just let something get away from me, Father. Not important. Why are you calling me?” Draco responded.

His father smiled.

“I have a bit of news for you that you might find very interesting,” the elder Malfoy said with a smirk.

It was quite interesting indeed.

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Hermione ran for the stairs, spitting as she did so. She couldn’t believe Draco forced a kiss on her, and what’s more wanted to “take care” of her in exchange for sexual favors. What an arrogant pig he was. She headed down the stairs to find Harry on his way up.

“Snape’s been summoned,” Harry said to her.

“I know,” she said, “I was watching you both from the Astronomy tower. I hope he’s all right.”

“Voldemort’s probably clueing him in,” Harry said. “Last minute orders. I don’t think he’ll be tortured. That bastard has other things on his mind…like killing me.”

Harry looked at Hermione. Something didn’t seem quite right…something other than her worrying about Snape.

“Hermione, are you all right?” he asked her.

At that moment, Draco appeared on the upper landing and began to quickly walk toward them, his face in a sneer as he descended the stairwells.

“More bad news,” Harry said under his breath.

Hermione looked up and her eyes narrowed.

Draco stepped off the landing and stopped, looking at Hermione with narrowed eyes.

“So nothing happened between you and the Professor on Hallow’s Eve, eh Granger? Well I have on good authority that he fucked you that night and is still fucking you,” the blonde wizard said with a sneer. “Miss Goody-Two-Shoes has had those shoes cocked in the air for the last few months.”

Hermione turned red as Draco looked at Harry.

“How’s it feel to know your best friend is playing slut for the Potions Master, Potter?” Draco asked him.

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Harry said, Godric’s sword swinging slightly in his hand.

Draco looked at the sword then at Harry again.

“I guess you know what’s going to happen on the fourth, eh Potter?” Draco said to him.

“Yes, I do. So Draco…will you be out there helping Voldemort try to take down Hogwarts you fucking turncoat?” Harry said to him with a snarl.

Draco stared at him.

“No. I won’t be helping him. But you better think about Granger’s boyfriend…we really don’t know whose side he’s really on,” the pureblood purred, looking at Hermione. The witch’s fists curled up.

“You take that back, Draco,” she hissed.

“You’re not thinking straight Granger…he fucks you…of course you aren’t going to think he will turn on Dumbledore…but he is very loyal to Voldemort,” Draco replied.

Draco had just found out that Severus was playing a double role. It was safe to tell him after he revealed the Dark Lord’s plans about the front gates. He figured Potter would know and so would Hermione, being that she slept with him and had to see his Dark Mark.

Suddenly Hermione jumped up and smashed Draco right in his nose as hard as she could. She didn’t draw blood, but Draco grabbed her, and Harry dropped his sword and wand and grabbed Draco. A very spirited tussle ensued. It was a good thing they were on the main stairwell now, or someone would definitely have fallen to the floors below.

Harry struggled to get Draco to let go of Hermione’s robes while Hermione bit Draco on the arm, the pureblood yelling and pushing her away. Harry tackled him and both wizards went down, Hermione running around them and doing her best to kick Draco in the head as they wrestled. The witch finally settled on grabbing his long hair and trying to rip it out by the roots. Draco managed to punch her in the side of her face and she let him go to pull out her wand.

“Stupefy!” she hissed, pointing the wand at Draco, hoping she wouldn’t hit Harry.

She didn’t.

Draco fell back unconscious and as Harry got off him, Hermione planted a good kick in his ribs, then pushed her hair out of her face. It was standing all over her head.

“Come on, let’s get to Gryffindor tower before someone sees us,” Harry said to Hermione as he grabbed his wand and sword and took off up the stairs.

Giving Draco one more kick, Hermione said through gritted teeth, “Severus would never betray us.”

Then she took off after Harry.

They just made it to the corridor that led to the Fat Lady’s portrait when Severus appeared after his meeting with Kingsley and Albus. He was scowling as he mounted the stairwell heading down. He was not going to leave the outcome of the Final Battle in Harry’s hands. Voldemort had to die.

The wizard was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t see Draco sprawled on the landing until he stepped on him and stumbled.

“What the…?” the wizard said, looking down at the unconscious pureblood. His nose was bruised.

Severus pulled out his wand.

“Ennervate,” he said, pointing it at Draco, whose eyes fluttered, crossed, then fluttered again. He sat up with a groan, feeling his nose. Severus blinked down at him.

“What happened to you, Mr. Malfoy?” Severus asked him.

Draco was not about to tell the Potions Master he had first accosted, then tried to beat up his paramour. He slowly rose to his feet.

“I was walking around the castle because I was bored. I think I tripped on my robes coming down the stairwell,” the blonde wizard lied. “One minute I was on the stairs, the next you woke me up.”

Severus studied him. Draco looked back at him steadily. He was quite the accomplished liar.

“I see,” Severus said, not sure whether to believe him or not, “Be more careful, Mr. Malfoy. Clumsiness can cost you your life on these stairs.”

“Yes sir,” Draco said, feeling his nose again.

Severus gave Draco one more look, then continued down the stairwell, hit the main floor and strode toward the dungeons entrance, Draco looking after him, then back up the stairwell toward the floor Gryffindor tower’s entrance was on.

He’d get those two sooner or later. Hermione Granger was a little hellcat, that was for sure. That was the second time she’d punched him in the nose since he arrived at Hogwarts, the first being in his third year over some damned hippogriff. He never got her back for that either.

Draco began to head down the stairs toward Slytherin house. He’d have to get some healing and pain potion for his bruised nose. No wonder Granger was fucking the Potions Master…with her temperament, she and Snape deserved each other. The wizard headed for the dungeon corridor.

He felt his nose again and grimaced.

Potter and Granger would get theirs. He’d make sure of it.

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A/N: Lol, that was a really fun chapter to write…both Draco accosting Hermione and all of them brawling on the stairs. :) Hermione better not have a bruise from that punch Draco gave her, or he’s going to have more than Harry and Hermione to worry about. Severus won’t be pleased. Well, please review.