The Shattered Dragon

Chapter 4: The Bully and The School Girl

Three of the other girls were spoken for but the club was slow, leaving Draco to pace the corridors until the early hours of the morning, sometimes catching a stray giggle or moan or the sound of a hand smacking against flesh as he made his rounds. Once or twice he found himself lingering outside of room six, but Theo was too clever and had obviously cast a muffliato, leaving the activities within a mystery. Sitting in the leather chair in his office with a glass of whiskey, Draco ran his fingers over his own Pleiades Mark that sat above his heart on the left side of his chest. Part of him was waiting...part of him was wanting to hear her call.

Hermione slept in past breakfast, her body aching and sore, a stiffness in her joints, a twinge of a headache from the lust potion leaving her system. Even after she woke up she stayed in bed, the heavy down duvet wrapped around her as she followed the flower pattern on the wallpaper with her eyes. Theo had finished with her just before dawn and escorted her to the staircase, kissing her gently on the neck before bidding her goodnight. She nearly laughed at the formality of it all, how he'd washed and dressed back into his suit and smoothed out his hair, even looping her hand through his elbow as they walked the marble floors to the front entrance...a fine gentleman taking home his date. She snorted, remembering how he'd kissed her hand to say good bye.

The sound of paper sliding under the door caught her attention.

My office please, once you've

dressed and freshened up.

- Mr. M

She pulled herself from the bed and stepped into a pair of buttery yellow satin pajamas and the black satin slippers that all the girls wore. As she walked down the corridor to his suite she pulled her hair into a knot, securing it with a pencil. It was Sunday monrning and the mansion was quiet, Autumn sun filtering through the windows, a few elves polishing the ebony balustrades on the staircase. Far down the hall she heard the tinkling of china and silverware, the elves cleaning up after breakfast. It was nearly noon. The closer she got to the black double doors, the harder her heart pounded, her confidence faltering. Had Theo complained about her? Had she unintentionally misbehaved somehow? Her hand absentmindedly went to her wrist, clutching at the brand. She was angry at her fear. Angry at herself. She certainly didn't care what Malfoy thought. She was angry at how easily she lied.

"Good morning, Sparrow," Draco said, pulling open the doors to his suite. "I was just fixing tea. You want a cup?

She nodded, glancing around the study, looking for some clue as to why he wanted to see her. He looked so much softer than usual, a faded blue t-shirt and linen pants, his hair a bit tousled as if he'd just woken up himself. She glanced around him to see if he'd had anyone in his bed, but the suite was empty.

"You weren't at breakfast this morning," he said, handing her the tea. "I'd offer you something to eat but its nearly lunchtime. It's so important for you girls to –"

"My guest left late and I wanted to get some sleep," she interrupted. He responded with some sort of a grunting noise, pulling out his silver case of cigarette supplies and rolling up a thin little smoke. "What is this?" She blurted out. "Why did you call me here? What do you want?"

He held out a hand towards the sofa, inviting her to sit before taking a long drag off the cigarette.

"You're here because I want all the dirty details, love," he purred, leaning forward, his hands on her knees. She could feel her heart pounding. He was close enough to her that she could hear the little wet sounds his mouth made when he spoke, see the diamond shaped flecks of blue in his eyes. Those silvery grey eyes that had always fascinated her: so dark and focused, pinning her in place with a blink. The wispy trail of white smoke floating up between them was hypnotic. She couldn't look away from him. Her throat went dry and he said, "Legilimens".