Broomsticks and Alibis

Chapter 4
(If you did not read the first Broomsticks story, Broomsticks and Bondage, you may be a little confused by this Chapter. If you did read it then it should all fall into place...before I confuse and shock you at the end of the Chapter! I warned you..hehehe)

Hermione stomped across the yard, intent on telling him just what she thought of him. He saw her coming and he smirked. He knew she would come. He wasn’t as certain about her coming to him now as he was when she came with him in bed, or the office or the Room of Requirement, but he was confidant.

“Don’t you drop that bomb on me like that then walk away from me ferret face!”

“Sweet Pea, not in front of the guests,” Draco said in a patronizing voice and before Hermione knew it, she was tackling him. She was damned mad and she wanted to choke the living breath out of him. How dare he take advantage of her like that when she was clearly in a vulnerable state. She was struggling against his long lean arms, that were successfully holding her back as she swung and missed time and again.

“I’m going to get you! You stupid, no good, GRINCH! You can’t play with a woman’s heart like that.”

“Hermione cut it out. I don’t want to hurt you so just stop before something happens we can’t take back!”

They were rolling around on the snowy ground, battling each other, as Ginny and the rest of the Weasley clan watched in shock and a warped sense of curiosity. Their screams rang out so loud that anyone in the vicinity could hear the ruckus. Hermione was shouting at Malfoy and Malfoy was shouting back, trying to calm her down. Finally, when Draco had had enough he flipped her over on her back and pinned her to the ground. He held her hands down in the snow and yelled.

“Stop!” Hermione’s tears were now freefalling down her face and her hair was wild and bushy.

“Get off me Malfoy, so help me god!”

“Not until you calm down and listen to me.”

“No, you lying sack of shit. You don’t love me. A guy who loves a woman doesn’t have a harem of whores that he sleeps with every night after he ties them up and takes advantage of them! You are a liar and I never should have married you!”

“I got rid of them the day after you left! I haven’t been with anybody but you SINCE YOU!” Now Draco was pissed. This was terribly unbecoming for a Malfoy to be airing his dirty laundry around so many other witches and wizards. It was dangerous too. At any second, one of Hermione’s pals could have hexed him. He had his back to them all as he tried desperately to control his hysterical wife. He was telling the truth though. After the Room of Requirement, Draco ditched all of his play toys. He certainly didn’t want to marry Hermione Granger but he did, for the first time in his life, want to date somebody exclusively. He thought he would try it and see how it felt. Nowhere in his psyche was the idea of marriage though. For this reason, he could understand why it was that Hermione disbelieved him and why it was that she was trying to pull his hair and scratch his eyes out. He had proclaimed his love to her and had made her consider her own feelings towards him in the process.

“You are lying again! You expect me to believe that after I left University you didn’t sleep with anyone at all until me, in my office!”

“Yes! That’s why I’ve been going on and on about getting NO SEX. I’ve had bloody sex once in the last two months! I wanted you but it took me that long to suck up my pride and come visit you. I thought for sure you would have come to see me.”

“I didn’t think you cared. I thought it was just sex. You made it perfectly clear that we weren’t dating. Why would I come see you? How do you think it made me feel? I was a virgin! Every time I thought about coming to see you I stopped myself.”

“Why though? Why didn’t you come? I would have taken you out. I would have made love to you just like we did in the Room of Requirement.” Draco released her arms but continued to straddle Hermione in the cold snow. He could hear whispers behind him but he dared not turn around. It was embarrassing enough knowing what he had just admitted.

“I was afraid I’d walk in on you and Pansy or Simone or any of the sluts you kept company with. I’d be hurt and then I’d feel stupid for giving my virginity to a guy who was a bimbo! If I didn’t come see you then I had that fantastic memory of my first time alone with you. I couldn’t risk it Draco! “ Hermione paused, trying to catch her beath and then something dawned on her. “Is that why you took those stupid notes from Mixed Marriage class and gave them to me? Was that your excuse to come see me?”

“Bravo Granger! You are finally starting to live up to that brightest witch of your age nickname.”

“You really dumped all of them for me?” Hermione’s voice was soft and understanding again.

“Yes. Can we talk about this in private now? I already feel emasculated enough for one day. Perhaps if you want to put my nuts in a noose next time you could give me fair warning.” Hermione laughed and Draco rolled his eyes.

“So what you said to me back in the house was real? You fell in love with me that first day in the Slytherin Common Room?”

“Yes, Granger. I had hoped you felt the same way.”

“I do. Oh, Draco I love you. I am so glad I married you. Can you let me up now?”

“I don’t know. Are you tricking me you vicious little witch you?”

“I tell ya what. You can tie me up if you don’t believe me?” Hermione held her wrists out and Draco bust into laughter.

“You can be sure that I will take you up on that one.” He pulled her to her feet and Hermione sunk into his chest. The two newlyweds kissed passionately and didn’t come up for air for several minutes. When they did, they suddenly remembered that they had an audience. Mrs. Weasley was wiping her eyes with a tissue while Mr. Weasley wrapped a comforting arm around his wife. Ron and Harry had come to see the show too and Ron was glaring at Draco and Hermione while Harry stood stoically as he held Ginny’s hand. Finally, George started to clap. Then Ginny followed in until the entire family was clapping and cheering them on. Hermione and Draco both had faces as red as a radish.

“I heard everything and I have the goods on both of you now,” George said with a friendly smile to the pair. Everyone went back to playing quidditch and even Draco was invited to play. It wasn’t until Harry sauntered up to Hermione that she remembered the case and why they were there. She saw Draco thirty feet in the air watching as Harry handed her a stack of photos with a somber look on his face.

“It happened again last night. A twenty-one year old student was killed at the Three Broomsticks. I have a lot to go over with you and Malfoy,” Harry cringed when he said Malfoy’s name.

“Thank you Harry. I know it will take some adjusting to but Draco really is a good man way down inside where it counts.”

“It must be way,way,way down because I certainly can’t see it. For all we know that whole celibacy speech was just a complete fabrication.”

“I don’t think so. It would be too easy for me to find out if he lied. Besides, we are married now. You may not see how it changes things but for Draco and me, it changes everything.

“Look Hermione, I think you may have the wrong idea. I’m not supporting your decision to marry Malfoy. I need to talk to you because you are trying the case before the Ministry. I need to talk to Malfoy because I’m hauling him in on murder charges.” Hermione nearly fainted at hearing this.

Review!?

Moving into our plot :) no worries though not abandoning the romance by any means. Thanks so much to the reviewers! You all are great. Keep 'em coming! hehehe