The Objects of Desire

Chapter Four

Of Lust and Loathing

Hermione walked to the Gryffindor Common room a large smile plastered on her face. It was early days yet and already there were changes in Draco. Subtle changes, the casual observer probably wouldn\'t even notice. But Hermione noticed. Would he actually change enough to really truly be with her? Would he change enough to do work for the side of good? She knew now that if he was prepared to change he would be amply rewarded. She was hoping against hope that he would prove her right and be the man he so obviously could be. The very thought sent shivers down her spine.

\"So,\" she said, linking arms with Harry. \"What\'s with you and Daphne Greengrass?\"

\"I\'ve kind of got a thing for her,\" said the young wizard sheepishly.

\"Oh no you don\'t!\" Said Hermione, pulling him to a halt, \"Daphne deserves better than that Harry. Now, have you got the hots for Daphne Greengrass or haven\'t you?\"

Harry sighed deeply, \"I made a bloody fool of myself is what I did, everything I said and did was wrong. To tell you the truth I\'m surprised she even wants to go out with me.\"

A tender smile filled her face as she pulled him into a tight embrace. \"She wants to go on a date with you. Don\'t be so self defeating, if it had been such a shambles she would not be willing to go to this picnic of yours.\"

\"You\'re right. I know that I have to give this a chance. I really want this to work.\" Harry pulled back from her, putting his hands on her shoulders, and giving her a wicked smile. \"So how goes it with you and the prince of Slytherin?\"

\"You really want to know?\" Hermione asked, biting her lip, not quite believing that Harry was taking this whole thing so well. He was such a good friend to her.

\"You\'re my best friend I\'m not going to turn my back on you because of your life choices.\" He smiled ruefully, shrugging his shoulders, \"If it means I have to be nice to the git then hey, I\'m sure it wont kill me.\"

\"You\'d do that for me?\"

\"Hermione,\" he said pulling her closer to him, \"if you manage to pull this off you will not only be saving his life but the lives of everybody he would have killed as a death eater.\"

***

Draco lay in bed a smirk filling his face as he thought back on the banter he had had with the delectable Miss Granger. He\'d never realized just how appealing muggle clothes were. Those jeans had left nothing to the imagination and the girl certainly had a well-made body. Her legs were long and shapely, tapering perfectly into that tight little butt. He lay back and thought about helping her out of those tight pants, like peeling the skin of a ripe banana.

He moved his hand up the back of her left leg slowly massage the exposed flesh behind the knee. He lowered his mouth to the sensitive skin reveling in the pleasure his touch was giving her. His hands moved slowly up her body searching out the treasures that lay concealed behind that small triangle of silk. Draco\'s thought of the Bermuda Triangle, a place of mystical significance. People went into the triangle never to be seen again. A smirk filled his face, as he looked at the triangle of silk, so tempting and so inviting. \'This is one triangle I wouldn\'t mind losing my self in indefinably.\'

When suddenly bang! A pillow hits him straight between the eyes, \"What the fuck Zabini!\"

\"If you want to whack off over your new girlfriend then sod off to the showers. I for one don\'t want to hear you in the throws of passion,\" said his indignant roommate, \"what the fuck was that anyway? Yes Granger yes Granger yes. Surely, you\'re going to call her by her first name when you finally get around to fucking her.\"

Crabbe lay in the corner laughing uncontrollably, \"yes Granger yes!\"

\"Fuck!\" he shouted. He really hated dorm life. You couldn\'t even beat your meat with out someone getting pissed. He stormed off dramatically. Hermione would be ready to study.

***

He walked into the room to see that she was already sitting at the table, books spread out, lost in the intricacies of Advanced Potions. He instantly became wrapped up in the expressions crossing her beautiful face. She was bent low to the book as she sucked all the knowledge she could out of the old tome in front of her. Her _expression changed, a slight smirk spreading across her pouty lips as she sat reading, allowing him to devour the vision of her beauty.

He pulled himself out of his trance; he was supposed to be seducing her, not falling all over her like some demented Hufflepuff. He was Draco Malfoy and he held this vile creature with contempt, he was not going to fall for some filthy mud blood, she was a means to an end, the destruction of the Golden Trio, not the prize itself. And he would do well to remember that.

\"Well,\" she finally said looking up from the book, \"are you going to stand there all day or come over here and do some studying?\" She looked at him with piercing brown eyes looking into his very soul, stripping down all the layers of his defenses. He stood frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights. He would never slander a Hufflepuff again, there are some times in life when you just can\'t help standing with a gaping mouth looking like a moron.

His eyes narrowed into a frown, \"school robes.\"

She raised her eyebrows inquisitively, a seductive smile playing across her lips, \"you don\'t like my school robes?\"

He melted into a puddle at the sight of her luscious lips and the playful glint in her eyes, \"well apart from being Gryffindor colors, they hide your sexy body.\"

A frown furrowed her forehead and his heart went out, longing for the return of the seductive glint that left her eyes, \"Draco I am a Gryffindor, if you can\'t get past that then maybe you should stick with your own.\"

\"No, no,\" he said eagerly,\" I\'m sure I can get past my old petty prejudges.\"

\"And I thought that we had decided that would try for friendship first,\" she looked at him with a face full of pain. \"I like you, you\'re handsome and sexy, and can have a good sense of humor, when it is not used to destroy another.\" She rose from the chair and looked out of the window, \"you\'ve hurt me, not physically but the mental torment you have put me through will take some time to put behind me completely. We need to replace my bad memories of you with good ones before I could ever think on you in a romantic light.\"

His heart ached as he saw the tender flower looking out the window, so pure and intricate, a delicate vision of perfection. She looked so vulnerable and fragile how could anybody want to destroy such a prize?. He walked up behind her, she stiffened as his hands went to her shoulders. \"I know I have hurt you in the past, I let my mouth run away with me, insulting and debasing someone who I should have held on a pedestal. I was an idiot. I know I can never take back the hurt I\'ve caused, but I intend to make amends. If you only let me I will prove myself worthy of your heart.\" His voice was filled with such sincerity it surprised even him.

Her small frame rocked with silent sobs and he placed his arms around her pulling her into his body. They stood looking out the window across the lawn, taking in the picturesque image of the lake beyond. After what seemed like an eternity, the shaking of her body stopped, but she didn\'t move from his embrace. For now, they were both happy to be lost in the moment, content to find comfort in the warmth of the other, until the view of the lake started to turn dark.

\"You know no matter how many times I see this place its beauty still takes my breath away,\" she said softly drawing him from the cationic state that they had lived in for the past hour.

\"Hmm,\" he murmured, \"it has a natural brutal beauty that you can\'t find anywhere in England.\"

\"Well so much for studying,\" she said mournfully, \" we\'ll just have to work twice as hard on Wednesday.\"

\"Wednesday is an eternity away,\" he said pulling her closer, \"couldn\'t we just stay here wrapped in each others arms for ever and just forget about the world outside.\"

She pulled from his embrace and looked deep into his eyes with a rye smile on her lips, \"we\'re meant to be taking this slowly remember.\"

\"Until Wednesday then,\" he said his voice full of resignation. He reached down and pecked her on the cheek, then turned and left the room.

Small victories, he thought as he turned and left the room. At least I got the first point on the board. If his lot was to become an obedient lap dog, he was going to make sure he caused Potty a bit of pain on the way.

***

\"Your turn,\" said Ron as they sat slumped over the chessboard. They had decided to play to take their minds of Hermione alone in the Astronomy Tower with the slimy ferret. But he just couldn\'t stop thinking about it. What if he touched her? The thought of his hands anywhere near Hermione\'s delicate flesh made his skin crawl. He couldn\'t get his mind on the game and he had already lost four times. All that he could think about was the parchment in his pocket. Waiting for the inevitable burning sensation that meant Draco had gained a point. Nothing had happened there had been no burning sensation. Hermione would be back in half an hour. It was going to be all right. She was keeping him at arms length; after all, she had as much reason to hate him as anyone. Nothings going to happen, Hermione is a smart girl, we can get through this.

The sudden urge to throw up over came him as he felt the parchment heat up in his pocket. \"I\'m going to the toilets,\" he said to Ron, \"that shellfish I had for dinner is giving me some grief.\"

\"I did warn you,\" said Ron with a smug look on his face, \"it\'s too warm this time of year for shellfish, they go off too quickly.\"

\"Thanks Ron,\" said Harry running to the toilets.

He walked into a cubicle and locked the door he sat on the seat and put his head in his hands trying to pluck up the courage to see the damage. She had let him touch her, even if it was only a peck on the cheek. The heartless bastard had been the bane of their existence for the past five years, and now his hands were pawing over Hermione, his lips had tasted her flesh, and she hadn\'t pulled back in revulsion and cursed him into the middle of next week she had let him do it.

Images played through his mind of them locked in a tight embrace his lips covering her hungrily searching out the secrets of her mouth.

He swiftly rose from the toilet, opened the lid, and hurled the contents of his dinner into the basin below. All the time he could see Malfoy\'s twisted smirk, hear his cultured voice…\"If you don\'t my cast off\'s what you gonna do with Granger when I\'m through with her? What you gonna do with Granger when I\'m through with her? What you gonna do with Granger when I\'m through with her?\" He braced himself as the rest of his stomach flowed freely down the toilet.

Once his stomach was completely empty, he fell back against the wall of the toilet, his mouth and nose burning from the caustic nature of his vomit, and his the veins throbbing in his head. \"I can\'t do this how am I supposed to go out there and look at her like nothing has happened, after what she has just done. It\'s too much I can\'t take this, what the bloody hell am I supposed to do?\"

This was Draco\'s plan all along, not who could bed their girl the fastest, but breaking up their friendship. If he turned his back on her now, Malfoy would have won. The slimy bastard had never beaten him yet and he was not about to let him start now.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment! A peck on the cheek! He\'d been willing to end their friendship over a lousy peck on the soding cheek. He rose from the floor to blow his nose clearing it of lasting traces of his actions, and then went to the sink to clean his teeth.

\"Hi Ron you OK?\" asked Hermione as she walked back into the common room.

\"I\'ll live,\" he said looking at her with pain in his eyes, \"Look I know why you\'re doing this, countless innocent lives could be saved if you can stop ferret from joining the death eaters.\"

\"But it doesn\'t make it any easier for you and Harry I can understand that,\" she said looking deep into his eyes.

\"We\'re both big strong boys and we love you,\" Ron Grabbed hold of her hand, \"we\'ll get through this together the same way we get through everything else.\"

Hermione flew at the tall red head wrapping her arms around his neck, \"Oh Ron thank you I knew that Harry understood but…\" her voice broke off as tears came rolling down her face.

Harry watched from the portrait door and his heart nearly broke, he was prepared to cause this wonderful person untold pain just because he couldn\'t come to terms with Malfoy touching her. He made a silent vow to himself. He knew that every single score recorded on the parchment would dig the knife deeper into his heart, but that was his to suffer in silence. She was being so strong and brave in doing this, he couldn\'t hurt her more, he could never become her new Malfoy, forcing pain and humiliation on her because of what she believed she had to do.

***

Draco walked back into the common room with a broad smile playing across his handsome features; \"to think he got that on his face spending the evening with a mud blood Gryffindor\" said Pansy resentfully.

She earned a glare from both Daphne and Draco for her efforts, \"OK, OK I\'m going, this bloody common room is becoming too politically correct. What\'s the bloody world coming to when you can\'t even bad mouth mud bloods and Gryffindors in Slytherin,\" she walked the stairs to the girls dorm and slammed the door loudly.

\"So,\" said Daphne smirking smugly, \"you look like the cat who\'s just ate the cream.\"

The smile on the wizards face spread to a smirk, \"no but I\'ve fond out what it tastes like.\"

\"A kiss, all that over a soding kiss,\" jibed Zabini, \"you really are turning into a lovelorn sap, and if I hear one, Yes Granger yes Granger yes tonight, I\'ll get up and smother you with the bloody pillow not throw it at you.\"

\"Sweet dreams then Malfoy,\" said Daphne smirking at him like a mad woman.

\"More wet than sweet,\" chimed in Nott.

\"I\'m in too good a mood to be baited by your petty comments so if you have nothing intelligent to say I\'ll get on with my homework.\" He sat down and opened his book bag.

\"Homework,\" said Daphne, to Zabini, \"I thought he went on a study date.\"

\"What gets me,\" replied Zabini, \"he has been gone two hours without doing his homework and the most he got was a soding kiss.\"

\"It\'s called respecting the person your with,\" she answered matter-of-factly, \"a lesson you might learn one day.\"

\"I very much doubt it,\" scoffed the young wizard.

\"That\'s why you have to make do with, Bulstrode and Parkinson,\" said Davis looking up from her homework.

\"Don\'t tell me you\'re joining the Gryffindor appreciation society as well,\" moaned Zabini, \"next you\'ll be after the Ginger Tossa.\"

\"There\'s worse blokes I could be interested,\" replied the witch looking wickedly at the dark haired wizard, her delicate eyebrows arched haughtily.

\"Such as?\"

\"\"I think the implication was self evident,\" laughed Draco not lifting his head from his home work.

\"So,\" said Daphne, \"if you are really interested in Ron, I could put a word in with Harry tomorrow, just think we could go on triple dates.\"

\"I didn\'t say I was interested in Weasley!\" she blushed brightly.

\"No but you didn\'t say you weren\'t,\" replied Daphne smugly.

Draco smiled to himself, ignoring his housemates, as he thought about Potty\'s reaction to the parchment heating up. If only I\'d been there to see it. Maybe he should suggest a joint date, then he would be able to see the faces of Scarface and Weasel. He was almost giddy at the thought of Hermione\'s sulking shadows having to sit and watch as he seduced their girl.

***

Hermione walked into the dorm with a look of smug satisfaction on her face, as she walked towards the bathroom.

\"Someone looks pleased,\" said Lavender, to the girl next to her.

\"Yeah and she had an awful lot of homework to do for someone who was just going on a study date,\" added Parvati, with a knowing look upon her face.

\"Well I don\'t think I\'d get much work done if I was alone in the Astronomy Tower with Draco Malfoy either,\" replied Lavender.

\"So you like him too?\" said the other witch.

\"He\'s kinda sexy if you like that pretty bad boy image.\"

\"I do.\"

Hermione tried to ignore her roommates as she got ready for bed, trying her hardest to keep her face straight.

Just then, a knock came at the door and Ginny walked in, \"so, are we talking about the hot date with Mr Slytherin himself?\"

\"No,\" said Hermione turning around and giving them a wicked grin.

\"Yes,\" said Lavender, \"we\'re just trying to wear her down. Come in we could use the help.\"

\"So how did it start?\" asked Parvati.

\"I can tell you that,\" replied Ginny smugly, \"It all happened in the bookstore when we were going to get our school supplies before the start of the year.\"

\"Ok I\'ll tell you but you must swear it goes no further than this room,\" Hermione said seriously.

The girls nodded, \"we swear.\"

\"No,\" said Hermione pulling out a piece of parchment, \"I mean really swear.\" All of the girls instinctively put their hands to their foreheads. The wicked grin on her face turned into a smirk, \"it all depends how much you really want to know.\"

Grudgingly the girls all took the piece of parchment and signed it \"You are pure evil Hermione Granger,\" snapped Parvati, \"it\'s no wonder Malfoy likes you.\"

Hermione ignored the comment as she went on to tell them all about the events in the bookstore, what had happened on the train, and the date in the tower. Leaving out the bit about it all being an attempt to turn Draco, it sounded rather romantic.

\"Ah you\'re so lucky,\" sighed Lavender, \"I never knew that Draco could be such a romantic.\"

\"He\'s not,\" replied Hermione. \"But I believe he will be before I\'m through with him.\"

\"So what was it like standing in his arms?\" asked Parvati her eyes wide with envy.

Hermione thought for a minute, \"Like floating on the clouds everything else just paled into insignificance.\"

Ginny\'s eyes bulged out of their sockets, \"you don\'t want Harry or Ron to here you talking like that.\"

\"That\'s why I swore you to secrecy,\" she said sternly, \"what the boys don\'t know won\'t hurt them.\"

Draco and Hermione went to sleep their dreams full of thoughts of the other and they both woke up next morning with smiles on their faces.

***

* Ginger Tossa is an insulting name given to redheaded men it Britain. Ginger, regarding the color of the hair. Tossa, is another name for someone who masturbates. It became popular after it was used regularly to insult one of the characters on a sitcom called Game On.
Rubberduck Thanks for your comments I try hard to keep my characters as close to what I think they would be like as possible., and I try to make the interplay between friends as realistic as possible. I\'m sorry if I gave you the opinion that Harry and Hermione would be more than friends. I see their relationship as more brother and sister. Hermione and the Weasley\'s are the only family he has left. His reaction to Draco touching Hermione is the typical protective male family member reaction to your sister or daughter going out with someone you don\'t like. The reaction is made worse by Draco\'s families participation in the death of Sirius. His mother set the plan in action with the way she used Kirtcher and his father and Aunt had a pivotal roll in the actual assault, with Bella being responsible for his death.
Dracoluvr, harypoter, hermionebrowneyes. Thanks for your comments they really mean a lot to me.
MX glad you like it and I don\'t know if either of the girls will discover the plan but they would have to be rather amiss if they didn\'t suspect something when the boys start doing the forfeits. The question is who would be most upset and why?
Hanna Delacour I\'m not quite sure what the Darth Vader quote was so yeah it was unintentional but hey great minds think a like. Glad you like the story.
Dragon34 I don\'t know who is the most reticent out of Harry or Daphne? I can see having suffered at the hands of the Slytherin boys while Harry would probably still be traumatised by his relationship with Cho.
Slingy thanks plots are something that I try to add to my stories.
Erg... Once again thanks for pointing out that mistake, I\'m sorry I mist it when I changed Harry\'s OOD.
Amniarix hope you like how I have started project tame the dragon. If the girl is beautiful enough which we know from when she made the effort in GOF she is, hormonal boys can\'t help but make fools of themselves. I should know I\'ve been there and no matter how suave you think you are OMG. Thanks for noticing I do like to try and keep the characters in cannon, but we have to remember that in the books everybody is seen though the black and white eyes of a teenage boy. They may be completely different people.