The Dating Game

Hermione was furious, absolutely livid. And she was humiliated.

How could she have listened to Charlie!

How could she have let Charlie pick out her dress for her and do her hair?

How could she let Draco say those things to her!!

He practically told her the same things that he had told Charlie what seemed so long ago, that she was only average looking. In front of all those people.

Ron had called her frigid, and Draco called her an ugly slut.

Fine. Fine fine fine fine!

She was through with men. She had work to do.

= = =

What a perfect ending to a perfect day. Draco really needed a drink and he really needed a shag to get his mind off the trouble with Hermione. But Michelle had disappeared, assumingly hooking up with some other wizard after the debacle. He couldn't really blame her, it had made her lose face as well.

Draco headed to the temporary bar set up at the other end of the ballroom. A kingdom for a firewhiskey or few.

"Drowning your sorrows, Draco?"

He turned to look at Isabelle who seated herself to the bar stool next to him.

"Something like that. How have you been?"

"Good. I've missed you, Draco. Have you missed me?"

Draco hadn't really given a single thought to Isabelle after she left the last time, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Maybe. So, are you alone tonight?"

Isabelle raised her perfect eyebrow seductively.

"I seem to be. What do you have in mind?"

Draco grinned. His evening plans had sorted themselves out, with little or no effort on his part. Great sex with Isabelle whose body he knew so well and who knew his was just what the mediwitch ordered.

He leaned in and whispered his intensions to her ear. Isabelle flushed and broke into a smile.

"Is that a promise?"

= = =

An hour or so later Draco and Isabelle lay next to each other on Draco's bed.

"Wow." Isabelle muttered.

Draco kept quiet and tried not to think about what had just happened. Tried not to believe what had just happened.

"This has never happened to me before." she continued.

To me neither, Draco thought miserably.

"It's you." Isabelle pointed the blaming finger at Draco.

"Hunh?"

"You couldn't get it up. You've lost your charm, your magic. No one has ever had a potency problem with me before. You've gone..soft."

Isabelle laughed at her own double entendre.

"Shut up, Isabelle. If you're not happy you can leave. Preferably right now."

"Happy? No, I'm not happy nor satisfied. Maybe Potter's wife was right. Maybe you really are more interested in that stupid little muggle than you ought to be. But she isn't interested back, isn't that right? She doesn't even know what to do with a man. "

Draco was getting tired of her lazy drawl and in fact, tired of her.

"Get out, Isabelle."

She looked hurt. Draco guessed no one had ever tried to throw her out before, either.

"Suit yourself. I hope you and your muggle will be very miserable together."

"We aren't together."

"But if it was up to you, you would be. Come on, Draco. Admit it! She's the perfect boring little virgin that you've always wanted to wed."

"Don't talk about her like that!"

"It's the truth! The bitch was probably a virgin until Charles. Charles is quite talented though, so who knows, maybe when he's finished with her you can have the leftovers and she'll know what to do with you."

"Save it, Isabelle. It's over."

The woman huffed and disapparated.

= = =


"Hermione? Hermione, please open the door."

Hermione just rolled her eyes. As if!

"Hermione! He shouldn't have said those things. You were beautiful, you really were! You are!"

Hah!

"I never would've embarrassed you on purpose. I knew you'd look stunning. Draco, he just couldn't handle it."

Hermione gave up, and lifted the wards from the door and let it open. Charlie stormed inside and found her sitting on the sofa, still wearing her party dress with a bowl of ice cream on her hands.

"Want some?" she asked a bit sullenly.

"No, I just want to talk to you."

"Suit yourself."

Charlie sat opposite of her. She looked pretty even when she was feeling miserable. She had nothing to say, so she waited for Charlie to speak his mind. When he spoke, his words caught her by surprise.

"At least he isn't indifferent!"

Hermione's lip twitched a little, as if suppressing a smile. Charlie took this as a sign to keep pressing.

"He couldn't take his eyes off of you."

Silence. Hermione shoved a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"He wanted to have his undoubtedly wicked ways with you."

Hermione put the spoon back down to the bowl and raised her eyes to meet Charlie's.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I know how men's minds work. He wanted to devour you whole, that's what upset him so."

"Yeah, he was surprised to see I could look like one of his...his dates!!"

"It was a lot harder for him than I had suspected, yes. But he's really interested. You're not his usual type of woman. And I mean that intellectually and emotionally above all!! He's not used to women with depth."

"I'll say, if his date for the ball was any example! And she was, I've met many of his past dates."

"I think it's time to put our cards on the table. Or yours to be exact."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you should tell him we aren't seeing each other anymore."

"Tell him the truth? After all that has happened? I'd rather marry a kneazle."

"No," Charlie replied slowly, "you shouldn't tell him the whole truth or even bits of it, just tell him we've come to a conclusion that we weren't suited to each other after all. Let him know there is an opening."

"An opening!?"

"Yes, kind of like you were looking for a new employee. Nothing dirty or filthy about it."

"And how am I supposed to manage that as I never intend to speak to Draco again?"

"Hmmm. Want to play hard to get? I suppose I could let him know..."

"I'm not playing hard to get. He's playing hard to want."

"But you still want him as much as ever. And he wants you. I'll help you. I'm a humanitarian, after all." Charlie grinned smugly and Hermione slapped him.

"I do. Want him."

"He's yours."

Hermione looked at him doubtfully.

"He is." Charlie confirmed.


= = =

Draco had never, ever had a problem with his dick before. Not this kind of problem at least. But Isabelle...as familiar as she was to him and certain parts of his anatomy, had done nothing to him.

Her pert breasts, her fine arse, her lips and teeth on his nipples and stomach and going lower and lower...nothing. The "little"guy was as good as dead.

Draco was really scared. He was a sexual being. He was good with women. He was good at sex and getting women off. Even though little Draco had failed him, he would've known hundreds of ways to bring her pleasure to a boiling point. And before tonight it would have been a matter of honour to him. Now, for some reason, the thought of that had disgusted him. The thought of perhaps going down on Isabelle had made him want to wretch.

What was wrong with him?!

Granger! Granger had really surprised him tonight. Why had she done that, worn what she had? She didn't need such empty decorations! She was fine the way she was. It was all Charlie's doing, he could bet his life on it.

The rack on her, though...wow. He would've never guessed that she looked like that under the usual loose clothing.

What the- -

Draco looked down.

O-kay. Either the problem had been quite temporary, or the problem was even greater than he had realized.

He started thinking about Isabelle, his hands on her slim hips while he was doing torturous, pleasurable things to her while she writhed under his ministrations. She moaned and ran her fingers through his hair as he took her nub in his mouth and sucked...

No. Not again.

The problem wasn't that temporary after all.

Without an invitation his mind was flooded with flashes of wild, curly brown hair and teasing dark brown eyes, clouded with passion and silent invitation. Long legs were wrapped around him while he lay on top of her, his tongue pushing deep within the folds of her mouth. In his dreams she tasted like wild strawberries. And he was dying to taste her other lips, to locate her pleasure points and make her finally his.

Oh yes.

Yes. Yes! Her lips travelled down his neck to his chest, teasing his aching nipples while he used his long slender fingers to push into her tight heat, making sure she was ready for him, ready to be owned completely by him...

No.

Oh Merlin, no.