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Chapter Text

“I know Lav, I will miss you too. I promise I will call all the time.” Hermione hugged her roommate tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Lavender held her by the shoulders, a serious look in her big eyes. “Once a week – at least!”

The girls laughed and hugged once more. Hermione pulled her car keys out of her pocket, the metal cool on her palms.

She sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. “Here, take care of her yeah?” she dangled the keys in front of her friend, Lavender squealed, eying the blue Bronco behind her with excitement. “I promise I wont speed…that much.” She joked.

Hermione eyed her Bronco longingly. She saved up her money for this car as soon as she could spell the word Bronco. It was one of three right-wheel drive Bronco’s in Australia, and it had cost her a pretty penny. Luckily, or not so, she had inherited a bit of money from her parents that helped make her dream come true at 16. Now she was 21, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever see her baby again. But she trusted Lavender, mostly. They had lived together for four years, all of college. Besides Ron’s sister Ginny, Lav was one of her only close friends.

A sedan honked behind them, startling the girls. “Come on now ‘Mione, don’t want to miss your flight!” Ron shouted.

She squeezed Lavender’s hand tenderly. “I will call when I land.”

Hermione settled in her boyfriend’s car and smiled softly as they drove away from her flat. She would miss it, sure. But what was waiting for her in London excited her even more.

“ You sure about this ‘Mione?” Ron said skeptically as they pulled into the Melbourne airport.

“For the millionth time Ronald, yes. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! Do you realize how hard it is to get this prestigious of an internship, not to mention paid, straight out of university?” she chided.

He sighed as he pulled out her luggage. “I know I just…I don’t understand why you couldn’t have looked for something closer, in Australia perhaps?” He rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation. “I am so proud of you, and I am really happy for you, but I will miss you ‘Mione, that is all.”

She pulled him in for a hug, stroking his back softly. This was a conversation they had had millions of times. When she met Ron at uni, one of the first conversations they had was about post-grad. Hermione had made it very clear that she was hoping for a prestigious internship overseas - that she wanted to see the world. Ron had wholeheartedly agreed, pledging to support her no matter where she went. And so they dated, and it had been almost 2 years now. This little issue of her suddenly doing exactly what she had told him she would do spawned in the last few months. When Hermione got news of her getting the internship, the amount of arguments they had tripled. But they would overcome, and despite this bump in the road, Hermione did love him very much.

“You know I will call every single night, and that I will come visit. I will even pay for your fare over to London, remember? It will be okay Ronald, I promise.” She assured him kindly, but internally she rolled her eyes.

He planted a kiss on her lips, pulling away with a sad look in his eyes. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you baby.”

“NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 681 TO LONDON, HEATHROW.” The loud voice of the speaker rang out.

Her heart rate increased, it was finally happening. She gave Ron one last kiss and hug, and waved him goodbye. “I love you!”

He smiled a toothy grin. “Love you ‘Mione”.

********************************************************************

Hermione’s flight was long, almost 30 hours to precise. They had a short layover in Shanghai, where she explored for a bit, grabbing a few books to throw in her carry-on. From Shanghai, they went to London, and when Hermione was finally off the plane, she couldn’t keep her giddiness at bay. The air was wetter than she was used to, the smell of rain invaded her senses. It was hard for her to comprehend just how far from home she really was; she was on the literal other side of the world. She dragged her luggage behind her, the wheels clicking on the tile of the floor.
As she reached the main doors, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and puffed a curl out of her face. Hermione was instructed to meet a personal driver by one of the gates. She looked around at the cars in the pickup lane, eyes catching on a sleek Rolls Royce. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the man standing outside of it, holding a sign with her name on it.

“No way.” She muttered to herself, a small smile on her lips. She knew this was a prestigious internship, but perhaps she underestimated it a bit. Hermione was suddenly insecure about her outfit: a pair of sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt, curls up in a messy bun, and some simple silver earrings. But what else did one wear when traveling for multiple days?

She fixed her posture and approached the car. “Hello, I’m Hermione.” She tilted her head to the sign in his hand.

The man simply nodded and reached his hand out for her luggage.

“Oh thank you!” He nodded again. She furrowed her eyebrows. Was not speaking a part of his contract? It was kind of rude.

She slid into the car, the leather seats cool and much more comfortable than her plane seat.

“Miss Hermione Granger, I presume?” A woman asked from the other seat. Hermione hadn’t even seen her, she was so still, and Hermione was preoccupied in her own thoughts.

“Yes ma’am.” She stuck out her hand. The woman shook it firmly, but in a polite way.

“It is so good to meet you, I am Narcissa, the one who hired you.” Hermione flushed.

Narcissa Black-Malfoy, the head of engagement, not to mention the wife of the current head of Malfoy Enterprises, Lucius Malfoy. She was dressed impeccably, a long dress that hugged her figure and a pair of heels Hermione was sure she wouldn’t be able to pronounce the name of. Her hair was two shades, a dark brown on the top and white underneath; it was pulled up into a low bun.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, I assure you! I must admit I did not expect to meet you so soon.” She conversed lightly, mentally cursing herself again for her choice of attire.

“Yes, well you are the first intern we have hired, I felt a proper greeting was required. Would you mind telling the driver the address of your lodgings?” Narcissa said.

Hermione reached for her phone and pulled up the address for the flat she was renting.

“Oh yes, of course. It is 457 Winchester Drive!” she told the driver, who hesitated for a moment, exchanging a glance with Narcissa.

“Why Miss Granger are you sure it is Winchester Drive?” Narcissa questioned.

Hermione double-checked her phone. “Yes, that is what my confirmation says.” She held up the screen to Narcissa, who sighed.

“oh dear. I’m afraid Winchester Drive was demolished a year ago, it is a commercial lot now, a very large Tesco to be precise.” She shook her head.

Hermione’s throat bobbed, and her hands felt clammy. She had been scammed and it wasn’t even her first day here!

“No worries, the nearest hotel then. I am sure I can find a place in no time.” She assured Narcissa, wanting to stay as calm and professional as possible. Although on the inside she was freaking out.

Narcissa leaned forward towards the driver. “Martin, would you mind taking us to Black Manor?”

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. Black Manor? Perhaps that was the closest hotel.

“You know, I should have thought to provide you with lodgings myself, it’s not like we can’t afford it.” Narcissa waved her hand dismissively.

Hermione was taken aback. “Oh no not at all! You have already been so generous.”

She flicked her hand in the air. “Nonsense, we have plenty of room for you at Black Manor, it is a short commute to London, I’m sure my son will let you borrow one of his cars, if you drive.”

Hermione’s eyes grew wide. “I adore cars. But I must insist I can find a new flat! I would feel awful intruding.”

“Miss Granger, it is now part of your internship that we provide housing.” Narcissa smiled, knowing she had her there. “I assure you, there is only one guest living in Black Manor, and there are so many empty rooms. It is the least I can do after you being scammed, what an awful welcome to this beautiful city.”

“Well I insist that you allow me to pay rent, it is the least I can do.” She countered.

Narcissa fixed her with a look. “That is why we hired you, you are very good at negotiating.” She smiled at Hermione. “But unfortunately, I must deny your offer.”

Hermione blushed. “Thank you, Mrs. Black-Malfoy. Truly, it is too generous.”

“You may call me Narcissa.”

Hermione smiled and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. While she did feel awful about her accommodations, she was excited to live in this manor for the summer. She had done a lot of research about England in general before her trip here, and the old homes (if one could call buildings that large simply homes) were something out of a movie, something she really wasn’t used to in her beachy town of St. Kilda back home. There were, of course, mansions, but none of them nearly as old and prestigious as the ones here.

“It will be about 45 minutes to Mill Hill, darling.” Narcissa added.

Mill Hill. Hermione had not heard of that neighborhood, but she assumed it was where the Manor was located. She nodded in response.

********************************************************************

The car rolled into a large cul-de-sac, and Hermione's eyes widened at the Mansion that came into view. It was huge, white stone with pillars in the front, and two wings jutted out from the main section. She noted the large fountain in the driveway, and two men standing by the door, awaiting their arrival likely. She had to physically keep her mouth from dropping open.

“Welcome to Black Manor, Hermione, I hope you find it pleasant.”

Hermione toned down her awe to gentle appreciation. “It is gorgeous.”

The door was opened for her and Hermione took in the home once again. The men got busy unloading her bags, and she followed Narcissa inside.

The inside was just as grandiose as the outside. It looked like a castle in one of the fairy tales Hermione often read as a child.

“Follow me, your room is in the west wing.” Hermione followed her up a grand set of stairs and to the left, down a long hallway decorated with various portraits.

Hermione walked into her room, eyes wide in admiration. It was beautiful. While the house was decorated relatively old, this room was modern. It was a pale blue in color, and there was artwork hanging on the walls that reminded her of home. A surfboard stood against one wall, and a small bookshelf on the other. She had three large windows with a seat overlooking a pool.

“Oh Narcissa this is wonderful! How did you have this done so quickly!?” She asked stunned.

“Never underestimate what I am capable of darling. I figured you would enjoy a taste of home. My staff can get things done very quickly.” She said. Hermione was still stunned. 45 minutes. They had spent 45 minutes in the car, and somehow in that time Narcissa had managed to get an entire room redecorated.

“I had the liberty of having some clothing and accessories bought for you. I was going to send them to your flat, but seeing as you will be staying here, they are in the walk-in closet. Please feel free to have open access to anything in the home. If you need any help, ask one of the butlers.”

Hermione smiled. “Thank you.”

Narcissa hummed. “Of course darling. Now there is one rule about you staying here, yes?” Her tone turned stern, and Hermione stood up straighter, nodding.

“You will be living with my son, and he is completely off-limits. Not because he is my son, but because he is next in line to Malfoy Enterprises, and it would be widely inappropriate to have you… Intimate with your boss. If I find that you have broken this rule in any way, your internship will be null. Understood?”

Hermione blanched under her intense tone, but she understood completely. “Of course! I am here for work only, Narcissa. It may ease your mind to know that I am taken, my boyfriend is back in St. Kilda.”

Narcissa gave her a knowing look. “Yes, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop many people.”

Hermione recoiled at her insinuation, but kept her composure. “Yes. Well I can assure you that while under your employment, I will be nothing but professional.”

“Good, I am glad to hear it.” She looked down and checked her watch. “I should be going, but I will see you this evening for the Gala. I will have a chauffeur outside at 8 pm to pick you up. It is black tie, you have many options in your closet.”

With that, she walked out, leaving Hermione alone in this massive mansion. She walked over to the window seat, plopping down. She heard voices and looked down at the pool, where a group of boys her age were gathered.

She scanned the crowd, wondering which of them was Narcissa’s son. Her eyes fixed on a man stepping out of the pool. He pulled himself up, water dripping down his hair and body, shorts clinging tightly to his skin. He had a swimmer’s build, similar to many of the men back home, featuring a six-pack that made her breath catch. However, what she was not used to seeing at home was hair like his. His hair was white, like a cloud on a summer day. He shook his head, sending droplets of water everywhere, and looked up.

Hermione felt like the world was in slow motion all of sudden. Brown eyes met icy blue ones, and she gasped in horror at being caught.

She threw herself back onto the window seat, heart pounding.

How fucking embarrassing. Caught ogling a man on her first day here.

“Pull yourself together!” she muttered

After taking a moment to cool down, she grabbed her phone off the bed and dialed Ron’s number.

It rang, but she was sent to voicemail. “Strange.” She opted to leave a message instead.

“Hey Ron! I made it to London! You’ll never believe what happened with my flat… it didn’t exist! Anyways, I’m staying at one of the companies manors. Give me a call back when you can, I miss you!” She hung up and decided to try Lavender.

It rang, and she was sent to voicemail again. She huffed, but left another message.

“Hey Lav! I hope you’re treating my car well-” she joked. “I miss you so much, I think you’d love it here…everything is so old! Although I am quite far from the beach, but they have a massive pool so I will not be sacrificing my tan! Anyways, call back when you get this.”

She sighed and plugged her phone up next to the bed. Her stomach growled loudly and she groaned.

“Fine, fine. We’ll eat.” She said to her herself.

Hermione made her way downstairs and into a large kitchen

She pulled open the fridge and debated over what to eat. She saw a pack of grapes and pulled them out, shutting the fridge. She yelped, the blonde man from earlier standing behind the door.

“Fucking hell.” She swore, a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

“What a kind greeting. In London, we usually say hello and shake hands.” his accent was posh, with a hint of what sounded like French. He smelled of chlorine and sunscreen, but also expensive cologne.

“So sorry. In Australia, we don’t sneak up on people.” She turned away from him and unscrewed the cap of her water.

“You think you’d be kinder to your host.” He leaned back against the counter, his striped button-up falling to his sides, pale stomach on display. His swim trunks were low on his waist, exposing the V that dipped below his shorts.

Hermione swallowed and met his gaze. “So you’re Narcissa’s son.”

“So you’re the intern that conveniently rented a flat that doesn’t exist.” He said sarcastically, his tone accusing.

She ran her tongue along her teeth in frustration. What a fucking asshole. “Yes, some of us don’t have our mommies do everything for us. But you wouldn’t know about that.”

She turned to move, but he stepped in front of her. He towered over her, his cold eyes narrowed. “You don’t know shit about me.” He gritted out.

“Ooo, did I hit a sore spot? Nepo-baby can’t handle the truth. Too bad.” She grabbed her water and grapes and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving a seething man behind.
She plopped onto the window seat in her room and pulled out her phone to text Ron.

‘Bosses son is a fucking asshole, call me soon. <3’

She then texted Lav. ‘Girl, my bosses son is such a fucking tosser. He’s hot, but his personality is awful. You know me though, I put the prick in his place. Call soon pls!’

She cracked the window and pulled out her book, planning to spend the day relaxing before she had to get ready for the gala tonight.

The afternoon passed quickly, Hermione had gotten about halfway through before the sky started turning orange, her sign to get ready for the evening.
After a thorough shower, Hermione styled her hair half up-half down. She applied a natural makeup base, adding shadows to her eyes to darken them, a swipe of eyeliner to accentuate the shape.

She walked in her closet and ran her hands over the fine fabrics Narcissa had purchased for her. She stopped on a small black dress.

Narcissa had said black tie…this looked close enough (Hermione would learn quickly that she should brush up on her dress code knowledge soon). She slipped the dress on and smiled. It hugged her in all the right places, a small slit on her upper thigh made her legs look longer. There was just a bit of cleavage, but it was still tasteful. She grabbed a pair of shiny black heels from the shelves and slipped them on before heading downstairs.

She descended the stairs slowly, trying her best to keep her balance in the heels. As she rounded the corner, she saw Draco fixing his bowtie in the mirror. He was dressed sharply in a suit, blonde hair brushed back. He caught her eye in the mirror and turned to her, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“You know it’s just us here, no need for the big entrance.” He stuck his hand out for her to take as she reached the bottom.

She scoffed at his attitude but appreciated the assistance, these heels were killer. She reached out to take his hand, but he swiped it away as if he was fixing his hair, a sly smirk on his face. She gritted her teeth, stabilizing herself on the railing.

What a fucking tosser. “asshole”

“Come now, don’t want to be late.” He smirked, ignoring her. “You do know the dress code is black tie, right?” He added, eyes roaming her body before shrugging and walking off.
Hermione’s face twitched in disgust, and admittedly embarrassment. “fucking hell” she said to herself, but she hoped Draco had heard her.

************************************************************************

Hermione thanked the Valet as she stepped out of the car. She was immediately out of her comfort zone, an outsider. Cameras were flashing and reporters were stationed around the building. There was a carpet lined with backdrops sporting the Malfoy Enterprises logo, where Draco met a pretentious looking woman for pictures. She was in a sleek black dress with heels so high Hermione swore she must’ve got them from a strip club. Her blonde hair was in a tight slick back, makeup heavy, but she had to admit the girl was pretty. Hermione briefly wondered if they were an item. Another part of her mentally noted that they were both starkly blonde and pale, a combination she personally didn’t think worked well together.

She avoided the carpet completely, not that anyone was interested in her anyway, and swallowed and made her inside the venue, eyes darting around at the display of wealth. The room was large, and decorated in a classy manner, tall standing tables for hors d’oeuvres covered in silky tablecloths. Low, large tables were concentrated in the center of the room, the same table clothes, but room for dinner service. At the front of the room was a stage with banners on either side, boasting the Malfoy Enterprises logo. Hermione suddenly felt like an imposter, like somehow everyone here knew she wasn’t one of them, that she was an outsider. And likely, they did. She was a new face, and a very un-British one – had these people never heard of a natural tan? Besides that, her accent would give her away the second she spoke.

“Hermione! Come, I’ll show you to your table.” Narcissa greeted her kindly. Hermione sighed in relief, at least she was a guest of the hosts. She led her to a table, occupied by many young adults, all watching her with varying degrees of interest. She noticed Draco had made it inside, sitting next to the rather uptight looking girl from earlier who was now eyeing her with contempt.

She thanked Narcissa kindly and sat in the open chair, across the table from Draco and next to a kind-enough looking young woman.

“You’re the intern! You’re much prettier than I assumed.” The woman laughed.

“That’s me.” Hermione chuckled, feeling a bit awkward with the way everyone was watching her. A posh voice jumped in.

“And you’re from where? That accent is…” she widened her eyes in mock disgust.

“Astoria…” Draco sent her a look.

One thing Hermione wasn’t about to take was shit from an entitled bitch. “Australia…but I’m sure its easy to lose track of all the places your people have colonized.”
Astoria scoffed, looking around the table for backup, but everyone sat silently. “Bitch” she muttered.

A young man across the table broke the silence. “When does your internship start?”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Draco cut in. “September. She’s here for the summer to get acclimated to London, nothing more.”

The man looked between her and Draco, whom she was now glaring at. She worked her jaw in frustration. “I can very well speak for myself, Malfoy.”

He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of champagne.

“Ah, well don’t listen to him. You must come to one of our parties! I’m not sure how you do it down under-” Hermione internally rolled her eyes. “-but we throw bloody good ones around here.”

“I would love that!” she responded kindly. Draco sent a chilling glare her way, as if unhappy with her answer.

Hermione smirked and took a sip of champagne, turning her back to him to listen to Lucius Malfoy speak.

After Lucius’s speech, which of whom Hermione noted a shocking resemblance to Draco, just older, there was a period of socialization.

Hermione should have taken this opportunity to meet some of the partners – introduce herself, but she found herself in need of air.

She would have to get used to being around such ostentatious displays of wealth and entitlement, but she could not handle these ‘friends’ of Draco at the moment, especially not the little blonde bitch that kept glaring daggers at her.

Hermione stood with her back to the outside, watching the crowds from afar when the young man from earlier approached her.

“So, you sure don’t take Draco’s shit. I’m Gregory.” The man nodded in acknowledgment to Hermione, swirling his drink in the glass as he settled on the other side of the door frame.

“Hermione, but you knew that.” She pursed her lips. “And no, I don’t find myself inclined to be bossed around by a spoon-fed, entitled boy who doesn’t know what the word ‘work’ means.”

That was a bit…much. Even Hermione internally cringed at her description of her bosses son. She didn’t know Gregory, he could very well go tell Narcissa what she had said.

“Mmm.” He took a large sip, but continued speaking. “Spoon-fed and entitled, definitely. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone around here who isn’t either of those things-”

Hermione literally cringed this time, she kept forgetting everyone here was of the upper class.

“-but all of Draco’s money is his. He worked his ass off young on a banking app, Cash-in, remarkably smart that bloke.” He finished.

“Never heard of it.” She added, slightly flushed.

“Well that adds up, it’s a U.K thing. Though I hear this is a push for it to be international.”

Hermione nodded. “And now?”

“Now he is taking a break. On a journey of self-discovery if you will.” He laughed to himself.

Hermione scoffed. “Self-discovery?”

Gregory smiled knowingly. “Don’t be daft darling, he’s young and attractive, not to mention filthy rich. I’m sure you can figure out what kind of self-discovery one of that description would be doing.” He took a finishing swig of the champagne, setting it on a passing butler's tray.

“I must get back, but it was nice meeting you Hermione.”

Hermione was stuck in the unfortunate thought cycle of what exactly Draco was doing was his free time. “Yeah, you too.”

***************************************************************************

Hermione lingered by the door after the event, waiting for her driver.

“Come on, mum said I was to take you back.” Draco said, obviously annoyed.

Hermione frowned. “Oh, no I’ll wait for the driver.” The last thing she wanted to do was sit in a car with him, god forbid Astoria found out.

He scoffed and strode out of the building, calling back to her. “There is no driver tonight.”

Hermione huffed and followed after him, carefully avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk in her heels.

She heard it before she saw it. The sound of a car revving, an expensive one. Hermione looked up, jaw almost dropping when she saw it. A McLaren Artura. A young man with brown hair hopped out. He was tall and quite handsome.

“Aye mate! Here you are…see you later eh?” His accent was obviously British, but there was a hint of something else Hermione couldn’t quite catch. Italian perhaps? He certainty looked like he could be Italian.

Draco clapped him on the back. “Yeah man, I’ve got to take her home first.” His head inclined in her direction. The other man looked up briefly and nodded.

“Come now Granger, you’re already wasting my time.” He fixed the lapels of his jacket, opening the scissor door on the passenger side for her.

She slid into the car, fastening the seatbelts over her chest. Draco sped off, the car handling his speed and maneuvers with skill. She noted that he looked, unfortunately, good in a high end sports car. She briefly wondered if he had purchased this himself. Perhaps he was independently wealthy, as well as old money.

They drove for a bit, and the awkward silence was killing Hermione, and the last thing she wanted was to spend the summer, no the next year, walking on eggshells around him.

“We got off on the wrong foot.” She turned towards him. He simply looked out of the corner of his eye.

“Mmm, are you apologizing for what you said to Gregory?” he hummed.

Fuck.

“I didn’t think he’d-”

He cut her off. “He didn’t, I just happened to catch the spoon-fed, entitled snob part as I passed by.” He chided.

She looked out the window, watching the city fade away. This was not the way she was hoping the conversation would go. “Yes, well I’m not the only one that needs to apologize.”

He scoffed. “No? You’re not the one judging people based off of things you know nothing about”

Hermione was affronted. “I made my judgement based off of your behavior! Most people learn how to be polite as a child, parenting 101. Obviously not you though…” Her thoughts drifted back to his rude actions that morning.

His jaw ticked. “Don’t talk about my parents.”

Hermione inhaled quickly. She hit a sore spot. “Your parents’? Are you a daddy’s boy?” it wouldn’t shock her, he was clearly privileged, ridiculously so. He seemed like the kind of kid to have his dad pay his way into schools and jobs.

His grip tightened on the wheel. “No. enough.”

Hermione smirked, eyes catching the look of anger on his face. “Not a daddy’s boy…maybe a mummy’s boy?”

The car jolted to a stop, her body hit the back of the seat forcefully. She looked around frantically, assuming something had happened.

But Draco was out of his seat, no, out of the car.

“what the hell?!” Hermione shouted as Draco rounded the car, opening her door forcefully.

“Get out.”

What did he just say? She stared up at him in disbelief. “GET. OUT.” He said, louder and more serious.

Hermione threw her hands up. “Okay, fine!’ She stepped out onto the sidewalk; he slammed the door behind her.

“Enjoy your walk, yeah?” He fixed his jacket as he stormed back to the driver’s side of the car.

“You’re seriously going to leave me here on the sidewalk? In the middle of a city I don’t know?!”

His cold eyes flicked down to the ground, then back to her.

“No, I’m going to leave you on the pavement.” He spit. Hermione’s protests were cut off by the sound of his door slamming and the engine revving as he drove away, literally leaving her in the dust.

“You’re fucking kidding me!” she shouted to no one in particular, stomping her foot in a rather childish manner. She reached for her phone and swiped it open, only to be met with a red flashing battery symbol. She scoffed in disbelief and clenched her fists.

There was no use in wasting time; she just needed to get back into the city and find a phone to call for a ride, or perhaps the tube was still running (was there even a stop near Black Manor?). She turned around and began walking, her expensive heels clicking on the pavement of the bridge, muttering expletives about Draco the whole time. Luckily, it was summer, or else she would have died of hypothermia in her little black dress.

Dramatic – maybe. furious – absolutely.

Just as her feet began to ache, the sound of a car slowing down caught her attention. It was another sports car, and the window rolled down. Her heart rate picked up. Great, not only was she left on the sidewalk by that prat, but now she was about to be kidnapped. She mentally cursed herself for not charging her phone beforehand and picked up her pace.

“Hey! Hermione! It’s me!” she turned to the man shouting out of the car, squinting slightly to try and figure out how he knew who she was. But she was not about to stop and let a random man have a chance to get her.

She picked up her pace, walking faster, briefly considering taking off her heels. The car backed up slowly with her, and she chewed her cheek in anxiety. “it’s me, Theo! The valet… Draco sent me to get you!”

She froze. Fucking Draco. She turned completely to Theo, remembering him now from the gala. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, plastering a fake smile on her face.

“Do you do whatever Draco asks of you?” she asked rudely as she opened the door, slipping inside the car onto the leather interior.

Theo blanched. “I help out my friends is all.” He put the car in gear, driving off.

“Where is he sending me?” she said while staring out the window.

He chuckled. “He’s not sending you anywhere, he told me to take you home.”

“I don’t want to go home.” She said simply. “Surely you have plans tonight, its Saturday, not even 11.” She fixed her gaze on the side of his face, while he actively tried to avoid by watching the road.

“Listen, I’m just following orders.”

She scoffed. “Like a dog on a tight leash.”

She noticed Theo’s grip tighten on the wheel, knuckles turning white. She hit a nerve – good, she’s been doing that tonight.

“You’re going to a party, presumably the same one Draco is at. I want to go.”

He sighed. “I’m taking you home.”

She hummed. “and I won’t get out of the car, so I hope you weren’t looking too forward to this party.” Hermione was being childish, but so was Draco, it’s simply unfortunate that she had to take it out on Theo.

“Fucking hell.” He swore

“I don’t like to be treated as a child. And I certainly don’t like being left on the side of the road.”

He worked his jaw, likely annoyed at her. But he was uneasy of her, that’s for sure, to go against Draco’s wishes so quickly. Good, Hermione liked to be taken seriously.

“Can I make a wild assumption and guess that you said something that hit a nerve? You seem to be pretty good at that.” He took a turn, and Hermione noted it was not in the direction of the manor. She smiled to herself, but internally she noted that she may have been a bit…bitchy. She tended to strike where it would hurt most when she was upset. She needed to work on that, it seems the English were much more sensitive than her Aussies.

“Perhaps. He must be quite sensitive if it affected him so.” She picked at her nails. Theo did have a bit of bite with his bark after all.

“He has always been into the scary kind.” Theo muttered, eyes on the road as he made another turn. Hermione whipped her head towards him, eyes wide.

“What did you say?”

He turned towards her and smiled. “Nothing. He is going to fucking wring my neck if he finds out I brought you here.”

He said, the wheels crunching on gravel as they pulled into what looked like a mansion-turned-club. He hopped out of the car and tossed the keys to another man.

She smiled. “Thanks Theo, you’re my new favourite.” She nudged his shoulder as he led them into the house.

He shook his head, brown curls bouncing. “You’re fucking terrifying is what you are.” He said as he held the door open for her.

Hermione was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of the party. The same that all parties had it seems, no matter what side of the country one was on.

Sweat, liquor, and sex.

A smile lit up her features, she hadn’t been to a proper party in too long. Once upon a time she and Lavender were known for their parties at the University of Melbourne, they’d go until the sun came up. But she hadn’t actually hosted one in almost a year, the pressure of getting a job post-grad overwhelming her. It was nice to finally be on the flip side.

“Aye, Theo!’ a lanky man slapped Theo on the back in greeting. She noticed Theo hand the man something small, in a little baggie.

“brought me the good shit, and a toy.” His eyes were fized on Hermione, words now directed at her. “Who’s this, she’s right fit.” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Adrien. This is Hermione.” Adrien looked her over, a smirk on his features. Theo grabbed a few beers from a cooler, handing one to Hermione.

“Nice to meet you.” She greeted, popping the cap off the beer.

Adrien’s eye’s lit up. “An Aussie. What are you doing so far from home?”

Hermione took a swig of the beer, repressing her gag for the awful beverage and Adrien’s pathetic excuse for flirting.

“Work.” She answered simply, not interested in carrying a conversation with him.

“With Theo…doesn’t strike me as your type of crowd.”

She raised and eyebrow in question. “Well you don’t know my type of crowd Adrien.”

He hummed. Adrien turned behind him and took a moment grabbing some plastic cups before handing one to her. “Here, you don’t strike me as a beer girl.”

Hermione inspected the colored liquid suspiciously. “Made it myself, go ahead, try it.”

As if sensing her hesitation, he took a long swig. Hermione shrugged and took a large gulp of hers; he seemed to know Theo well, and that was the only consolation she had at the moment. She was also still angry at Draco, not to mention grossed out by this Adrien character. A distraction in the form of getting drunk was welcomed.

It was good, fruity but she could feel the welcome burn of the liquor.

Theo put her a hand on her shoulder, pushing her towards another room. “Come, there’s music over here.”

She nodded her head to Adrien in goodbye. “You’ll be back.” He said almost to himself, but Hermione heard him clearly.

She recoiled, but Theo was pushing her away too fast for her to put the asshole in his place.

“Shit, I’m gonna go say hi to one of my mates, you’ll be fine on your own yeah? Don’t do anything stupid” Theo weaved through the crowd, and just like that he was gone. Hermione sighed again, so much for English hospitality. The men she had met so far were highly disappointing.

Hermione followed the lights into a larger room. The music was loud, so much so she could feel it pulsing within her. Red lights were illuminating the room in a seductive glow, and Hermione took another sip of her drink, smiling.

At least that asshole could make a good drink, she thought to herself.

Hermione weaved in and out of the crowd, bumping into shoulders along the way. She came upon a small stage in one of the corners. On it were a few women dancing sensually with a man. No, with Draco. Hermione’s mouth parted slightly, the sight in front of her distracting her from her anger. Her throat was suddenly dry and she took another large gulp of her drink.

Draco was shirtless, his pale skin glistened with sweat. Hermione had seen him shirtless at the pool last night, but that was from a distance. Up close, he was like a sculpture. He moved to the beat sensually, hips swaying, back muscles on display, arms around another girl. She swallowed roughly, her face began heating. If Hermione was not so pissed at him, she would have been drooling.

Draco Malfoy looked utterly sinful when he was shirtless, drunk, and dancing. A big change to his earlier stone-cold demeanor.

She lightly shook her head, reminding herself that she was upset. And boy was she. All her anger for him leaving her on the road flared back up twofold. Feeling the alcohol herself, Hermione felt a bit rasher than usual. He wanted to be a douche, she could play that game too.

Hermione stepped closer to the stage and gripped her cup tightly. “Malfoy!” she shouted above the music.

He turned and she acted.

She heard shouts as she threw her half-full drink on Draco, covering him in the sticky alcohol. It sprayed on one of the girls dancing with him as well. Draco clenched his jaw and looked at her with disbelief, arms in the air, shaking off the liquid. His lip curled up in a snarl.

“Fucking hell Hermione?!” he shouted, his accent thicker than usual.

“Leaving me on the side of the road, really? I could’ve been kidnapped, I could have been killed!” she countered.

One of the girls shouted at her. “I fucking wish you were bitch!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. If she was in a worse mood, she would’ve ripped out the bitches earring.

“Hope you were thirsty.” She smiled sweetly at Draco, whose eyes were burning with anger. She turned away, hoping to make her exit.

But the crowd seemed denser than usual, and maybe her drink had more alcohol in it than she realized, because she suddenly felt dizzy, the people around going in and out of focus.
The farther she moved, the worse it got. Her legs felt weak, like jelly. Her breathing became more laboured.

Fuck. She wasn’t drunk, that asshole had roofied her. She was sure of it. She had partied enough at Uni, hell even in high school, to know this was not her normal reaction to a few sips of punch.
A rough hand grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Draco shouted at her.

She opened her mouth to fire back, but she couldn’t keep her balance and her knees buckled. Draco reached out to catch her immediately. His strong arms hooked under her armpits, pulling her up.

“How much did you drink?” he asked, tone accusing.

“I…” his face was so fuzzy.

“Hermione, what did you fucking drink?” his grip on her tightened, noticing her slipping. His tone, while still angry, had something similar to worry in it.

“I think I…I think I’m a toy…for Adrien.” She managed, remembering what he muttered earlier. Her head was swimming, eyes feeling heavy.

Draco’s jaw clenched, eyes darkening. “Fucking hell.” He gathered her arms and set them around his neck, his arm secured her tightly against him by the waist.

He carried her out of the main room and roughly kicked open the door to a smaller room. It smelled like weed, but Hermione wasn’t sure, she hadn’t smoked since freshmen year. He placed her gently against the wall before turning towards the group of people. She noticed Theo in one of the corners smoking a cigarette, eyes going wide, darting between her and Draco.
She felt sick, and dizzy. The smell of the weed drifting over to her was certainty not helping, she gagged.

“Where the fuck is Adrien?” Draco shouted, voice menacing.

“Aye mate you’ve got my girl. She’s a pretty thing, you can have her when I’m done with her.” He laughed, nudging the man beside him with a grin.

Draco stalked forward and shoved him against the wall harshly.

“Man what the hell?” Adrien fired.

Draco didn’t waste his breath responding before throwing a punch. Adrien’s nose cracked with the impact, his head whipping to the side. He nearly fell down, his hands going up to cup his now broken nose, blood dripping.

“he’s fucking broke my nose!” Adrien whined to no one in particular.

Draco, furious, walked up to one of Adrien’s friends.

“Get him the fuck out of here.” His friend hesitated, but Draco raised an eyebrow, asking for it. Draco stood much taller than them, and there was something about him that screamed danger. The man gritted his teeth but backed off, pushing Adrien out of the room.

“Theo” Draco growled as he picked Hermione back up bridal style, walking out the door towards his car. Her head lolled against his chest, too heavy to hold up on her own.

Theo ran after them, stuttering over his words.

“Listen mate I swear I didn’t know he spiked her drink, hell I didn’t even see him give her one I-”

“Open the door.” Draco cut him off. Theo quickly opened the car door, Draco placed Hermione gently inside.

Her head lolled to the side and she sighed. “Mm your pretty, too bad you’re an asshole.” She mumbled.

Draco froze for a second and Theo’s eyes went wide and he began rambling again. “Really Draco you’ve got to believe me, I didn’t even want her to come, she forced me! She’s bloody terrifying.”
Draco took a step closer to Theo, fist clenched and bloodied from his land on Adrien’s nose.

“You’re fucking dead Theodore.” He stalked over to the car door, slamming it behind him. The car started and Hermione hummed with the engine.

“Not as terrifying as you that’s for sure.” Theo mumbled to himself, waving sheepishly at Draco, who rolled his eyes before driving off.

The car ride made her sleepy, she was so tired.

“Hey, keep your eyes open, were almost home.” He urged Hermione, pushing her head gently his hand. She wanted to listen to him, she really did, but she was just so tired.
“Fuck” Draco swore and pressed on the gas harder, wheels squeaking as he drifted into turns. If Hermione was a little more sentient, she might have asked him where he learned to drive like this.
Just as her eyes were closing, the change of terrain jolted her.

“Come on now darling, that’s it.” Draco lifted her carefully out of the car. When he picked her up, her dress shifted, exposing a patch of skin on her side that was scarred. He furrowed his eyebrows, but ignored it for now.

“Mmmm” she tried to say something, but words were failing her.

“Shh. We’re almost there, you’re doing so well.” He brushed a hair out of her face and carried her into the house and upstairs to her bathroom, she noted dazedly.

“I need you to throw up, you’ll feel better.” He pulled her hair out of her face, gathering it in his large hand.

Hermione stared into the toilet bowl, but her vision was blurry and she couldn’t figure out which bowl was real and which was the double.

“I’m sorry.” she heard Draco huff before he shoved his finger down her throat. She gagged at the sudden intrusion, feeling stomach bile come up her throat.

Draco kept his finger down her throat until she threw up so much that he was sure there was nothing left in her system.

He stood up quietly and washed his hands, stepping out of the room for a moment before returning. Hermione felt better already, the dizziness and double vision gone. But she was utterly exhausted, as well as slightly embarrassed that her bosses son just had his finger down her throat.

Draco lifted her up again, guiding her to her bed. He tossed a large t-shirt at her.

“You need to change if you want to sleep comfortably. I’ll get you some water.”

Hermione nodded. The second he left the room she stripped out of her dress and slipped on the t-shirt. She pulled herself under the covers and stared up at the ceiling. A soft knock stopped her from falling asleep.

“Come in.” She said quietly.

Draco strode in with water and toast. “Here, drink the water now, but the toast is for if you wake up hungry. If you need me I’m down the hall.”

Hermione nodded dumbly again, the only thing she felt capable of doing at the moment.

“thank you” she muttered before he was completely out of the room. She was not sure whether he heard her, but the way he paused in her doorframe told her he did.

Chapter Text

Hermione awoke the next morning with a slight headache and absolutely no recollection of what had happened after she threw her drink at Draco.

“Fuck” she muttered.

She threw her drink at Draco.

She threw her drink at her bosses son.

What the fuck was wrong with her? She was here to work in a month, not lose her internship. But damn did it feel good to put him in his place.

She sighed and pulled the covers off, sliding to sit up on the edge of her bed. She adjusted her shirt and-

Her shirt. This was not her shirt.

Hermione’s eyes widened as she looked down at the large white shirt she was wearing. The fabric felt expensive, and it smelled of cologne. Her face drained, suddenly feeling cold.

What the fuck had her and Draco done last night?

“it’s okay, you did not sleep with your bosses son, you did not cheat on your boyfriend. It’s okay” she kept reassuring herself as she went to the bathroom to splash her face.

Besides the headache, she felt surprisingly fine for being drugged last night. Besides that little blip, the party had the potential to be a good time. Perhaps she would be able to spend this summer before her internship doing something fun. Theo wasn’t so bad…but she needed some female friends.

Hermione changed out of what she assumed was Draco’s shirt and into a white tube top and pair of shorts. She pulled her hair back into a messy bun, a few curls falling out. She brushed the lingering taste of alcohol away and made her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

She turned to put the carton of orange juice back in the pantry, but was startled by Draco leaning over the counter.

“Morning.” He greeted, a sly smirk on his face.

Hermione narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Yeah, morning.”

She turned to grab her bowl of fruit, but he grabbed her wrist gently.

“About last night, you okay?” he questioned, seemingly genuinely concerned.

Her heart rate picked up. “What about last night?”

He laughed. “Mmm you don’t remember? It was quite eventful.” He watched her with amusement twinkling in his icy eyes. “Calm down, I just brought you home after fucking Adrien tried to drug you.”

“Well I wasn’t insinuating that we-” she cut in

“- of course not. I did stick my finger down your throat, though; you’re welcome by the way.”

She blanched, the memory of him pulling trig for her flooding her mind. Mortification covered her face. Just when she was thinking about thanking him, he had to bring up something to purposefully embarrass her.

“You want me to thank you for being a decent human being after leaving me on the side of the road? No thanks.” She grabbed her glass and bowl and strode onto the back patio, praying he didn’t follow her. She heard him chuckle.

After breakfast, she changed into one of her bikinis and decided to read by the pool. The sun in London felt much weaker than in Australia, but it was still a warm, sunny day.

She had been outside for a few hours when her phone beeped. She rolled over and shaded her eyes with her hand.

“about time” she said, expecting to see a text from Ron or Lavender. Instead, it was from an unknown number. She furrowed her brows and clicked open the message.

‘Thought you should know’

“what?” she said aloud, watching the three little dots bounce in the corner with bated breath. She inhaled roughly when the message loaded.

Three pictures popped up.

Three pictures of Ron with Lavender.

Lavender was in the driver seat of her Bronco, Ron leaning over the window. She held her breath as she swiped to the second picture. Ron was leaning into Lav, like he was whispering something. She had a bright smile on her face. Hermione swallowed roughly as she swiped to the last picture.

“What the fuck.” The last picture showed Lavender with her hands around Rons neck, the two of them kissing.

Kissing in her car.

Cheating on her.

Ron was fucking cheating on her with her best friend, in the car she had left for her.

Those fucking cunts.

Hermione felt her eyes burn, tears threatening to spill. She sat up and sniffed, shutting her book roughly before stomping back into her room and throwing herself onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow, multiple times.

But when she expected tears to flow, nothing came. No, she was not sad. She was fucking furious.

She screamed into her pillow a few more times for good measure, punching her bed, pretending it was that cheating ginger fuck. But nothing she did helped, her stomach was in knots. All that time wasted on someone below average, someone who hardly had any goals in life. Why had she stayed with him, lowered her standards… fuck she was so fucking stupid! If anything was bothering her the most, it was the fact that her BEST FRIEND had betrayed her, honestly did she have anyone left she could trust?

Revenge was the first thing on her mind. Ron wanted to cheat on her? Fine, she would show him just how little he mattered. Show him how much better off she was without him, prove all his stupid little fears right.

She stripped out of her bathing suit and started the shower, a single tear finally rolling down her cheek.

***********************************************************

Hermione walked into the garage, the familiar red McLaren she was looking for was running. She popped open the door and slid into the passenger seat.

“Get out.” Draco said harshly.

She ignored him and buckled the dual seatbelts over her chest.

“I’m coming with you.” She said matter-of-factly.

He scoffed. “how do you know I'm going anywhere interesting?”

“If yesterday was any indication of your entertainment preferences, I’m sure you are. Besides, it’s a Saturday night.”

He shifted the car into gear and began to pull out. “You won’t like where I’m going.” She silently acknowledged the fact that he had accepted so quickly, she hardly had to beg like she had planned.

She shrugged. “Try me.”

He shook his head and pulled out of the driveway.

Draco drove ridiculously fast, borderline recklessly if he wasn’t so in control of the car. They switched lanes, swerving around vehicles, taking turns so quickly they basically drifted into them. He kept glancing over to Hermione, but she was on her phone. He huffed quietly.

He sped into a garage, swiveling the car into a spot at full speed, turning it on two wheels. Truly an impressive feat. But Hermione ignored it. She was over men at the moment.

“Oh, we’re here.” She unbuckled and stepped out of the car.

Draco pouted slightly, muttering to himself. “Fucking hell.”

Hermione walked around the garage alone, admiring the cars parked around. Her eyes caught on a Porsche where a young woman with a dark bob was sitting on the hood.

“Nice car” she greeted. The girl scrunched her face in amusement, looking her up and down.

“Like you would know.” The girl chuckled sarcastically.

That was a challenge. Hermione loved a challenge. She approached the car and gently ran her hand along it.

“Twin-turbocharge flat-six engine?” she questioned innocently. The girl stood up and eyed her with suspicion.

“Yes.” She said simply.

Hermione continued walking around the car. “650 horsepower?” she peeked in the window. “and all-wheel drive…” She hummed to herself. “I’d imagine you get 0-60 in say… 3 seconds?”

She smiled at her. “2.7. I’m Pansy. You know your shit, what’s your story?”

Hermione smiled. “How long you got?”

The girl motioned to the front seats. “Come into my office, I’ve got all night.” She joked.

And so Hermione sat in the car with Pansy for a while, going over her story.

“My parents? Dead. My dad got in with the wrong kind of people, he illegally raced, I’m sure you know how that goes.” Hermione said, swinging her hand around, motioning to the cars lined up..

Pansy nodded. “Damn girl, you’ve got some trauma.”

Hermione shrugged. “So what is a girl from Australia doing on the other side of the globe at a car meet?”

“I’m here for an internship. Came early to get used to London, living with my bosses asshole son. And get this, my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend, in my car that I left for her as a gift. Like literally just got these pictures today.” She said bitterly.

Pansy whistled as Hermione handed her the phone, showing her pictures.

“Bloody hell. That’s just fucking cruel.”

Hermione nodded. “tell me about it.” The girls exited the car, and Pansy led her over to a small group of people.

“Hermione, this is my boyfriend Blaise.” She motioned towards a tall man, his complexion was dark, features sharp. He was a big man, no doubt he could fight.

“Nice to meet you.”

He nodded to her. “You as well. That over there is Draco, our friend, but I’m his trainer as well.” Hermione kept her composure.

“He fights?” She asked.

“Bare-knuckle. One of the best around these parts.” Blaise said proudly.

Hermione balked at that information. An unwanted image of Draco’s pale skin and hair bloodied and bruised popped up in her mind.

A partier, a fighter, and likely a street racer. Did his parents know just how wild their son truly was?

“Speak of the devil” Blaise joked as Draco sauntered up.

“Draco, this is Hermione. Girl’s got it rough, she’s stuck living with her bosses son who happens to be a fucking asshole.” Pansy joked.

Hermione clenched her jaw and blushed, eyes widening slightly. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

“A fucking asshole?” He said mockingly.

Pansy and Blaise looked curiously between the two of them for a moment. “Do you two know each other?” She asked.

“I’m the asshole son.” Draco smirked, looking directly at Hermione, who was now chewing the inside of her cheek. She smiled sheepishly at Pansy, Blaise was laughing wildly
.
“Shit, sorry girl.”

Hermione smiled sheepishly. “That’s okay, I think Draco knew that already.” She tried regaining her confidence

Draco watched her with an unknown emotion.

“So, your asshole cheating ex...” Pansy started

“Your boyfriend cheated on you?” Draco swung his gaze back to Hermione, something unknown burning in them, his tongue ran quickly over his teeth. She chewed her lip and nodded.

“So you have two options. Send a pic back, or we get messy.” She smiled wickedly.

Draco fixed his gaze on her, she could feel it burning the back of her head. “I want to hurt him like he hurt me. Let’s get messy.”

Pansy squealed and grabbed her wrist, pulling into a large crowd of people dancing to loud music.

Pansy handed her a seltzer, the can still closed. Hermione could trust this drink, and she trusted Pansy, who was quickly turning into her first girl friend in London.

Hermione cracked it open and tilted it to the side, using her teeth to bite a hole into the aluminum. She cracked the can and tilted her head back, shotgunning it before throwing it down and stomping on it, a wide smile on her face.

“Damn girl I like how you party. Do another one with me!” Pansy shouted over the music, grabbing another set of drinks and shotgunning with Hermione again.

Hermione felt some of the drink run down her chin, dripping into her cleavage, but she didn’t care. She felt free. She turned with the music and noticed Draco staring at her. She smirked at him and he turned away slowly, returning to his conversation with Blaise.

Pansy and Hermione danced until they were sweaty, taking turns spinning each other. Every so often someone would come up behind Hermione, and she’d let them hold onto her, moving her hips sensually. The man was tall and bulky, and he was handsome enough. His hands roamed her waist, she leaned her head back, feeling the music and the alcohol. Ron never danced with her like this when they were out…he was usually too busy getting fucked up with his friend Harry.

But just as she was turning to face the man, someone grabbed her wrist roughly and began pulling her away.

“Hey!” she attempted to pull her wrist back, but Draco was pulling her forward to quickly
.
“Come with me.” He dropped her wrist, trusting that she would follow. She turned behind her, noticing that the man had already moved to another girl, and Pansy seemed just fine on her own for a few moments.

She followed Draco curiously through the crowd. He led her to car that was parked just a little away from the others, two cars doing burnouts just a few meters away. She opened her mouth to question him, but he backed her up against the hood of the car.

She took in Draco fully for the first time that evening. He was wearing jeans and expensive trainers, a white t-shirt clung to him in all the right places, highlighting the six pack she saw the other day. He had a brown leather jacket on, and his white hair was ruffled as if he had rolled out of bed. The chain on his neck dangled as he stepped closer to her.

Her eyelashes fluttered and she gasped when he placed his hand gently on her inner thigh, pushing her legs open to step in between them.

She felt her breathing pick up, confusion and curiosity mixing. Her stomach rolled in anticipation.

“Did you mean what you said?” he asked roughly.

“About?” it came out much breathier than she had hoped.

“About wanting to hurt your ex” his gaze was hot on her. Hermione’s mouth felt dry all of a sudden, she swallowed roughly. What was he offering?

“I mean, yeah. If I could burn his pretentious movie tee’s I would.”

“About being messy…” He moved his hand from the hood of the car to her waist. His hand wrapped tightly around her, the pressure sent sparks through her.

“Yeah. I meant it.” If she was in her right mind (that is, sober and not freshly cheated on) she would have pushed Draco away, per Narcissa’s warning. She valued her future and her job over a boy. But at this moment she wanted nothing more than show Ron that he was nothing to her.

His pupils dilated, and something in the air shifted, turning heavy. He cupped a hand over her cheek, leaning forward slowly, his eyes glued on hers.

Hermione leaned forward to meet him halfway. Fireworks blossomed in her stomach when their lips met, pleasure making her toes wiggle. Draco claimed her mouth roughly, pushing his tongue in, demanding access. She obliged, her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. They moved roughly together, the kiss messy, filled with a burning need.

Draco shifted, one of his hands leaving her body. She heard the sound of her phone camera click, and she was taken out of her trance. He pulled back slowly, handing her the phone.

“Will these work?” he said, voice laced with desire, breathing heavy.

“Yeah.” Her eyes fluttered as she looked at the pictures. They were filthy. Draco was all over her, their mouths locked. She swallowed as her cheeks heated even more. She exhaled and looked at him through her eyelashes.

“Thank you” she said softly.

He ran his tongue along his teeth quickly, nodding before walking away.

She looked back down at her phone, the images sitting in the send box. She ran her eyes over the messages Ron had sent her this afternoon.

It’s not what it looks like, I swear ‘Mione you have to believe me!

Please, let me explain, I love you!

Hermione it was a mistake, I never meant to hurt you.

Please respond, you’re the one I want, it was just a kiss it didn’t mean anything, I was missing you!

Hermione scoffed and pressed send, adding a message. Don’t worry, I’ve moved on too.

What a fucking asshole.

She turned her phone off and shoved it back in her pocket, making her way back to the party, heart still beating wildly in her chest.

The crowd had dispersed from the dance floor and instead hovered in a large crowd around two cars.

One was Draco’s McLaren, she recognized it immediately. The other was a Nissan Silvia S15.

They were going to race…in the parking garage. Hermione’s heart rate picked up in adrenaline. Her father had taught her how to race as a young girl, before he got involved with the wrong kind of people. She hadn’t raced since her parent’s death, but she found herself suddenly longing to. She tried peering into the car from her spot on the side, but it looked empty.

Where was Draco?

“Hey girl, where’d you run off to?” Pansy said from behind her.

“Where is Draco? Should he not be here?” she pointed to his car which was still empty, a hint of anxiety in her voice. The other car now had a driver, and she saw a girl with a green flag stepping out in front of the vehicles.

“Oh fuck, he and Blaise were talking…” Pansy looked around frantically, chewing on her lip.

“I’ll do it.” Hermione handed Pansy her drink and phone, tying up her hair.

“What? No you can’t-” Pansy protested, but Hermione had already stalked off, opening the door of the McLaren and fastening the dual belts.

This could either get her in a lot of trouble or make her really popular. She shouldn’t have even considered getting in his car, but she saw her opportunity and intended to take it.

She silently prayed that she remembered all the tricks her dad had taught her as she placed her hand over the gear shift.

“Racers ready?” the woman shouted. Hermione calmed her breathing, this was nothing more than a silly race, she had bested plenty of grown man as a young girl, surely she could do it now.

“On your mark, get set, go!” she swung the flags and Hermione was off, accelerating immediately, tires squealing on the pavement.

Draco heard the roar of engines and swore. “Fucking hell Blaise!”

“Shit man I lost track of time!” Draco ran over to the race, Blaise hot on heels, but skidded to a halt when he saw his car rounding the first corner. He ran a hand through his hair roughly, swearing.

“Pansy…” he said slowly. “Who the fuck is in my car?”

Pansy smiled sheepishly, clearing her throat. “I don’t think you want the answer.” Gasps and cheers rung out as everyone was watching the camera footage of the race.

Draco grabbed the phone from Blaise just in time to see his car do a complete 180 like it was nothing, in the hardest turn of the race. His eyes widened, mouth dropped open.

Hermione laughed. This was so much fun.

She saw the corner coming up where she would need to do a u-turn. The Nissan was hot on her tail, and she knew just how to shake things up. She pressed on the breaks suddenly, jerking the wheel to the side, sending the car drifting into the corner. She shifted the gear and the car came to a standstill, hood to hood with the Nissan. An angry looking man about her age yelled inside, and she smirked, waving at him before taking off.

“Mate…that looks just like-” Blaise started to say carefully

“Where the fuck is Hermione Pansy?” Draco all but shouted.

Pansy smiled and shrugged. “Well, you were nowhere to be found, and she was eying it up like a piece of candy…I tried to tell her not to but she was already in the car.” Her hands were up in mock surrender.

Draco groaned and clenched his fists. Blaise put a hand on his shoulder. “She sure knows how to race though…”

Draco glared at him. “Yeah that’s fucking great Blaise, but she’s racing McLaggen.” He turned his attention back to the footage, but there were no cameras anymore, he would have to wait until they crossed the finish line. He began pacing, hands continuing to run through his hair in stress.

“Oh shit” Blaise swore.

Draco chewed on his lips, anxiety filling him in a way it never had before. He was fucking pissed at her, she had no idea what she had done… but he was also worried, not to mention turned on at the fact that she could race ( a fact that he planned on ignoring for now, hopefully. He still found her awfully self-righteous).

“She’ll be fine, her dad was a big racer in Australia apparently, taught her how to race as a girl.” Pansy added.

Draco raised an eyebrow, “Real fucking helpful Pansy.”

Who the fuck was Hermione Granger? Who did his mother hire? Who had he kissed?

The sound of tires got louder, and Draco tensed as the cars rounded the last corner. “Come on freckles…” he whispered to himself.

Hermione stomped on the gas harder as she rounded the last corner. Cormac kept rear ending her, but she was just ahead enough that she could pull this off. When he tried to go around her on the inside, she side swiped him into the wall, giving her enough of a lead to move to the center of the lanes, blocking him from going around her again. The crowd came into view again, and she smiled widely as she crossed the finish line seconds before the Nissan, winning the race.

She got out of the car and was faced with a cheering crowd, but Draco stomped up to her before she could appreciate her win.

“You have no idea what you’ve fucking done.” He scolded. She recoiled, face scrunched in displeasure at his tone.

“I won, by a lot. You’re welcome…” She said, annoyed that he couldn’t even acknowledge the skill it took to do what she just did.

“At what cost?” He bit out. She was about to respond when a car door slammed, and out came the very large man she had been racing.

“What the fuck Malfoy?” Cormac stalked towards him. “When I challenge you to a race, I expect to race you, not some bitch.”

Hermione suddenly filled with dread. This wasn’t some fun car meet…this was a gang meet. Draco was involved in the same shady car circles her father was in, the one that got her parents killed. And she had just broken the cardinal rule of gang races, taking the place of a driver.

She stepped in front of Draco. “Hey, he had no idea. I got in the car without him knowing, it’s not his fault.” She tried.

Cormac scoffed at her, looking between her and Draco. “Are you gonna shut that thing up or should I?”

Hermione recoiled. “What the fu-”

But Draco had already landed a punch on the man, head whipping to the side. Before Hermione could even process what was happening, a massive fight broke out between the two sides. Fists were flying, and their shouts echoed.

Hermione backed up, she started to panic. Her ears started to ring, her head felt dizzy, she couldn’t breathe, or was she breathing too much? She felt like she was panting and holding her breath at the same time.

She covered her ears, squatting down to the floor to avoid being seen, just like she had done that night. Her vision was going in and out, her stomach was filled with dread. She felt like she was underwater, the shouting was so loud yet so muffled. Was she going to pass out? Was she falling?

“stop…” she whispered to herself, the memories of that night flooding into her brain, making her confused. She felt like that child again, helpless, unable to identify what was real and what was fake.

“Police!!” someone had shouted in the distance, people began running away from the scene as the flashing lights pulled into the garage, sirens blaring.

But Hermione couldn't comprehend what was just said, what was happening. She felt trapped in her head, the panic so immobilizing, everything moving in slow-motion.

She hardly noticed Draco running up to her, shouting.

“Granger let’s go!” He shouted.

She blinked slowly, her heart feeling like it would explode any moment. She wanted to listen to him, to hear what he said, but she couldn’t. He looked around frantically trying to grab her hand, but she couldn’t get her hand to grasp onto his, she was gasping for air now. Her body felt like lead.

“Fuck Hermione we have to go!” he scooped her up and booked it towards his car. At some point in between him picking her up and him placing her into the car she slipped out of the attack.
Draco had shut the door harshly and accelerated out of the garage. Hermione focused out the window, at the blurring tree lines, trying to calm herself down. She was safe… she wasn’t hurt.
Once home, she followed Draco into the kitchen. He handed her a bottle of water and sat on a barstool.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, not sure what else to say. “If I had known it was a gang rac-”

He cut her off. “I’m really really angry with you.” He tried to sound serious, but there was an edge of amusement in his voice.

She glanced over at him nervously, and a small smile broke out on his face. “Right now I’m just checking if you’re okay. Tomorrow I will be angry with you.
Hermione sucked on her lip, trying to keep her smile at bay. Since when was Draco Malfoy making her smile?

“Was that a panic attack?” he asked, serious again.

She took a long sip of her water. “Uh, yeah.”

“Do they happen often?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Only when they’re triggered by something. Usually fighting.” She didn’t want to divulge much more information at the moment.

A moment of silence stretched between them before Draco spoke again, sensing that he should change the subject. “I didn’t know you could race like that…Pansy said your father taught you.”
Hermione smiled, ignoring the part about her father. “Is that a compliment?”

He shook his head in amusement, exhaling. “Yeah I guess.”

Hermione exhaled, ducking her head down to cover her blush from his view. “I should get to bed.” She couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice.

He nodded, and Hermione pursed her lips, heading down the hallway before she did anything stupid.

She was about halfway down it when she paused. “Draco?”

She turned slowly to look over her shoulder, but she didn’t see him anymore. Just as she was about to turn back, he peeked out from the doorway, hands in his pockets. Hermione suddenly forgot what she was going to say as he sauntered towards her in the dim hallway.

She exhaled shakily when he stopped a few feet in front of her, leaning against the wall.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” She mentally gathered herself, confidence was key. “For the kiss.” She clarified.

His eyes flicked to her lips, and then back up. He took another step closer and spoke lowly. “I would do it for anyone.”

Hermione squinted in disbelief, sensing his lie. “Really?”

“Yeah” he whispered.

“Theo? Blaise?” she challenged. He stepped even closer. “Adrien?”

That got him. “I don’t trust Adrien. He never gets a clean shave…”

She ran her hand along his jaw softly. “Mmm there’s something about a five o’clock shadow that really gets me going.”

She cupped his chin, Draco leaned closer to her mouth, their breaths mingling. She could feel the tension, cut it with a knife. He pressed closer, mouth open and ready to kiss her, but she pushed his head to the side before whispering.

“Too bad its only four.”

She turned back towards her room before she gave in and did anything even more stupid.

Draco was left standing there, mouth still open to kiss her. He snapped it shut and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Fucking hell” he muttered to himself, but he couldn’t keep a smirk off his face.