From Venice with Love

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The next day Draco was late coming back to their room for lunch. “What’s wrong?” Hermione said as soon as he walked in. “You don’t look good.”

“Zabini is coming round this afternoon,” Draco said, looking tired. “You need to go to the library or something. I told him I’d make sure you weren’t here.”

“Is that safe?” Hermione asked.

Draco shrugged. “I think so. It sounded on the up and up. I think he wants to discuss the You-Know-Who’s plan,” he said. “I just spoke with Snape, who thinks if I can convince Zabini it would buy us time. He wants me to meet him.”

“I’ll have to stay in case he tries something,” Hermione said. “I’ll hide in the bathroom.”

“He’ll check there,” Draco said. “We can’t risk it.”

“I’ll borrow Harry’s invisibility cloak then, “ Hermione said. “That way I can hex him immediately if he tries anything.”

“Potter has an invisibility cloak?” Draco said.

“That’s not important now. I’ll go ask him for it,” she said, getting up.

“No, you can’t ask him. He’ll want to listen in too and I don’t want that.”

“Why not? He can help.”

Draco looked away from her. “Zabini might say things that I don’t want Potter to hear. Nothing I want you to hear either, by the way, so if I let you stay you have to promise me that everything you hear stays in this room. Also that you won’t reveal yourself no matter what Zabini says or what I say.” He looked Hermione in the eye. “Do you promise?”

“Yes,” Hermione said after a moment.

“I might say some horrible things. You have to remember I’m playing a part and that it isn’t real. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” Hermione said in a low voice. “Harry will be at lunch. I’ll sneak into his room now.” She slipped out of the room and looked around before walking quickly to the Gryffindor common room. She wasn’t supposed to walk alone at all, but she couldn’t very well call a teacher to follow her as she “borrowed” Harry’s cloak. She found it easily and put it over herself to walk back to her room. She took it off as she entered the room.

“Amazing,” Draco muttered, touching the cloak. “He’s such a little sneak.”

“You can’t let on that you know about it,” Hermione said, putting it under their bed.

“Of course not,” Draco said, grabbing his bag. “It’s time for class. I’ll be meeting Zabini at 4.”

“I’ll be here,” Hermione said, as Professor Sprout arrived to escort them to class.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At 3:50, Hermione was sitting on her bed, a little nervous about the coming meeting. She had her wand tightly in her hand as she waited for Draco to return. Hearing voices, she pulled the cloak out and pulled it on as she moved quickly to the corner of the room.

“Let me check and see if Granger’s in there,” she heard Draco say as he opened the portrait. She saw him glance around the room and she moved her leg so he could see it from under the cloak. He nodded slightly and headed back out of the portrait. “All clear,” he said, and he and Blaise walked into the room. Draco dropped his bag in a chair and Blaise did the same. “She’s usually in the library until dinner,” Draco told Blaise as he sat down in a large arm chair in the sitting room.

Blaise walked around slowly. “Nice place. Mind if I look around?” Draco waved his hand in acceptance and Blaise began to circle the room with his wand, obviously looking for listening devices. Draco sat in the chair looking undisturbed as Blaise moved from room to room. Finally, she heard him say a silencing and a locking spell on the portrait and the common room door before joining Draco. “Don’t trust me, Blaise?” Draco drawled, looking very much the git she remembered from previous years.

Blaise shrugged. “You did marry a Mudblood, Draco,” he said.

Draco chuckled. “Not by choice, I assure you.” He gestured to the other chair. “Sit.”

Blaise sprawled down on the other chair. “So, Draco, what in blazes is this about? Fist you shag that Mudblood bitch, don’t have enough sense to use a contraceptive charm, and then marry her. Are you insane?”

“It’s not my baby, you idiot.” Draco snapped at him. “I’m not thick. Granger was shagging some other bloke in Italy and he didn’t use a contraceptive charm, but she thinks he did. Like I would ever soil my bloodline like that for any plan.”

“Then why are you married to her?”

“It’s part of the Dark Lord’s plan to get to Potter,” Draco said. “With me married to his best friend, I can get all sorts of information about where he is and what he’s doing. Plus, my dear wife lets things slip all the time.” He grinned nastily as he said ‘wife’ and Hermione cringed.

“And the pregnancy?”

“Even after shagging her, how else could I get Granger to marry me unless she was pregnant?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes.

“How did you get the little prude to shag you anyway, much less another guy?”

“She thought it was me, he used Polyjuice potion.” Draco told Blaise. “As for how I got her to shag me, please. I can get anyone I want.”

“How is she?’ Blaise leaned forward, grinning.

Draco smiled back. “What do you think?”

“I think as soon as she gets that baby out I’ll have a go at her as well,” Blaise said, laughing.

Draco kept smiling. “It’d be worth it, trust me, but I don’t think the Dark Lord will keep her around that long. Once we’re able to get Potter, we’ll be done with her.”

Blaise nodded, as if Hermione’s death was no concern to him.

“The problem is Parkinson,” Draco went on. “My father is out of favour with the Dark Lord and this is my chance to redeem our name. Father hasn’t been told of plan, he could ruin everything.”

“I’ll take care of Parkinson,” Blaise said immediately. “I’ll make sure everyone knows how important this is.”

“I can’t have anyone hurting her enough to lose this baby either. She’d be too distraught to give me any good information.” Draco said in a flat voice.

“Of course. I’ll make sure.” Blaise said again.

“They need to act angry at me as well, or Granger will get suspicious,” Draco continued and Blaise nodded. “Snape will confirm everything I’ve said, of course.” He stood up and Blaise followed suit. “You’d better go before she gets back. If you need to speak with me, let Snape know.”

“You had me worried for awhile, mate,” Blaise said as he picked up his bag to leave.

“I can’t believe you’d actually think that I fell in love with a Mudblood,” Draco gave a short bitter laugh. “Especially that jumped up Granger bitch. You should know me better than that, Blaise.”

Blaise grinned. “It won’t happen again,” he said, before departing. The second the portrait closed, the menacing expression fell from Draco’s face like a light going off. He didn’t glance in Hermione’s direction, but instead ran into the bathroom. Hermione took off the invisibility cloak and went over to the bathroom door. It was shut, but Hermione could clearly hear the sound of Draco vomiting.

To give him privacy, she went over to their bed and sat down to wait for him. It was a full twenty minutes before he came out, smelling like toothpaste. He was very pale and wouldn’t meet Hermione’s eyes.

“It’s okay,” she said, touching his arm. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I can’t believe I ever did,” he said quietly as Hermione hugged him.