To Woo a Minister

Before Hermione could scream, Ronald was winding up another punch. As Draco's left hand reached up to his bleeding nose his right whipped out in front of him to grab Ron's fist before it came close to his face. 

"Typically" Draco spat, his voice dripping with venom his hand squeezing Rons "people provide some sort of explanation before punching another person in the face. So I'll ask... What the fuck are you doing here and what the bloody hell was that for?"

Ron Scoffed. "I'm here to deal with my wife" Ron spat and tossed a copy of the Daily Prophet onto the coffee table in front of him. 

"Ex-Wife, Weasel, Ex-wife" Draco assured him as Hermione began to dab at his bloody face. She handed Draco the tissue she had been using and took a deep breath before turning to Ron, nostrils flaring. 

Thank Merlin her wand is upstairs. Draco thought as he watched her march up to Ron. "You do not deal with me Ron - married or not. How dare you barge in here like this as if you still have claim or authority over me." she ranted. 

Ron's red face stared down at her. "What kind of woman gets herself plastered across the front page kissing that dirt bag?" Ron threw is hand up in Draco's direction "What kind of Woman are you Hermione? What kind of Minister does this! Didn't you think of that?" Ron yelled. He took a step closer, getting into her face "You're a disgrace. A whore. You've embarrassed yourself and worse of all you've embarrassed me and my family!" He grabbed her upper arm "You're coming with.." 

He was unable to finish his sentence due to Draco storming across the room and shoving Ron against the nearest wall. Draco's forearm was up against Ron's throat and his red face was staring down at Draco in fear. "How dare you Weasley? She's not your wife any longer and even if she was how dare you speak to her in that manner." Ron lead out a huff and Draco could smell the alcohol on this breath. "Get out, Get out of here before I kill you with my bare hands. Go back to the pub you clearly just left." Draco dropped his arm and shoved Ron towards the door. 

Ron turned to see Hermione, tears welling up in her eyes, shaking her head at him still nursing the spot on her arm where he had grabbed her. A bruise already forming. It wasnt the first time. "Get out of my house Ronald or I'll call Harry. You know that wont end well." She said evenly summoning all of her courage.

He looked shocked but turned around and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Draco turned to look at Hermione, eyebrows knitted in concern. 

"Don't look at me like that, your the one bleeding." She said as she conjured a wet cloth to clean him up further. Draco allowed her to fuss over him for a moment before putting his hands over hers to stop her ministrations. "Kitten, I'm fine. I'll heal it in a moment. Are you okay?" He asked gently. He wondered if this is how Ron had treated her throughout their entire marriage and was concerned for what scars he may have left her with. He wondered briefly if she had removed Ron from her wards and what would happen when he left her alone. This brought him back to the article Ron must have been mentioning and Draco reached down to pick up newspaper and said "You need to update your wards, now."

There he saw, stretched across the front page, a photo from when Hermione had first kissed him last night. Handing her the paper he sighed and sat down, putting his face in his hands. He looked up at her, waiting for a reaction. He could see the wheels turning in her mind, her face pensive, lips pursed.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. If I had known .." 

"I really just hate my hair from the back" Hermione cut him off, tossing the paper aside. 

He looked up at her, gaping. He blinked once. Twice. She caught his stare and smiled softly at him. "Draco why would I be mad at you over this? This effects you just as much as me."

He shook his head. "No, Hermione. Arent you worried about what people will say about you? I mean, Are you sure you're okay with everyone knowing you kissed Draco Malfoy?" He asked. 

She sat down on the couch next to him. "Draco. I am not embarrassed to know you, nor am I ashamed or anything other than happy to kiss you. Perhaps we should have been a bit more careful. Ron certainly should have found out.. differently.. You know how he is about you.." She looked away "and I'm not really sure what this means for us. But I would not have gone to lunch or anywhere with you if I hadn't wanted to. If I hadn't known that other people would see." 

He only heard one part of her statement. "What do you want it to mean for us?" He asked quietly. 

She blushed. "Well.." She took a deep breath. "Draco I enjoy your company very much. And well.. last night was certainly fun.. I wouldn't mind more of that.. " She turned a brighter shade of red and turned of face him fully. She saw his growing smirk and turned her eyes up towards the ceiling. "Draco Malfoy, I want to see more of you" 

He chuckled "Love, I think you've seen all that I've got."

She huffed and stood up quickly. "Nope. Nope, I've changed my mind. Unbelievable! Forget it." She said as she walked haughtily towards the kitchen. 

He followed quickly behind chuckling as she walked to the coffee maker and began making herself a brew. He put his arms around her waist from behind and put his chin on her shoulder. "I like you too Hermione. Very very much." She sighed and smiled putting her hands on top of his. She leaned her head to the side against his. "So do we just take this as a sign? Do we just come out to everyone and say we're together? Don't you think its too soon? Too fast?" She asked. He squeezed her tighter and said "If you're okay with that.. If that's what you want. I dont think it’s too fast but i understand why you’re asking. I’m not letting you slip through my fingers though, Granger." 

She turned around in his arms and smiled up at him. "Okay" She sighed. "This will get a lot of attention, you know. We'll be getting hounded for weeks." He nodded showing he understood. She continued. "We should probably put out some sort of joint statement. I'd like it to be clear I did not cheat on Ron." She sighed again putting her cheek to Draco's chest. "Like he said.. what kind of Minister.." She was cut off by his fingers dipping beneath her chin. He lifted her face and kissed her hard. 

"Don't you dare take what he said to heart. You forget his drunken words this minute." He said gazing down at her seriously. "What a prick. Is that how he treated you the last ten years?" She could tell he was getting worked up and flinched. He noticed. "Hermione. I'm not yelling at you. I'm mad that he could be such a git and from your reactions I can tell it's nothing new. I wont blame you or question why you put up with it but I promise Kitten, No one will speak to you in such a way again and certainly not me." He dipped his head down to look into her eyes. "My new goal in life is to raise you up Hermione. If I need to be the ground you stand on I will raise you up myself. Any man who tears down a woman does not deserve you." He looked down at her to see her eyes welling up with tears again and wrapping his arms around her he kissed her bushy head. "Hermione you're my witch now. I can't wait to show you how you should truly be treated." He leaned back and placed kisses all over her face and doted a few on her neck and jaw line. He sped up the pace of his pecks until she was giggling in his arms and he backed away satisfied. "Nor can I wait to show you off." She smiled at him but sighed heavily and grabbed a coffee mug. "So we do an interview, tell the truth and hopefully this will blow over quickly" They nodded at each other.  

"Want some?" She asked. He shook his head vigorously with a disgusted look on his face. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she poured herself a cup while Draco took a seat at the Kitchen island. She turned around to see him smirking at her. She held his gaze as she sat down and nursed her cup between her hands. She took a sip. 

"You know Granger you're far more kinky then I thought you'd be" 

She choked on her coffee due to the abrupt change of subject and he chuckled. "You liked it a bit rough didn't you?" Goosebumps erupted on her bare leg and everywhere Draco's shirt didn't cover.  These did not go unnoticed by the blonde sitting opposite her. "You like me talking about it don't you?" He grazed his finger along her thigh. She shivered and looked at him as she took a sip from her shaking mug. He raised both eyebrows suggestively at her. She squeezed her legs and lips together and he tilted his head. "Don't worry. I'm glad you do because I like those things too." He stood up and walked around her so he was behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. "I've never had anyone so responsive to my touch before." 

"And your voice" She mumbled quietly. 

He chuckled darkly. "That too, huh?" He saw her nod. "Well love," He said quietly as he rubbed her shoulders and back "I enjoy your reactions as much as I enjoy the action itself." She whimpered as he reached his arms around massaging her thighs as he brought his hands back up her body to her shoulders. 

Draco went back to running his long fingers up and down her back as he watched her sip her coffee. He could feel her becoming more and more relaxed. He summoned his wand and healed his nose easily. 

"So Love, what are your plans today?" He asked. She shrugged and set her now empty cup on the counter. "Well, I'll admit I hadn't planned on entertaining a slytherin today. I know I said I didn't have to go in today but I had thought of searching the Ministry library for that manuscript I told you about.. I've been trying to reach out to Minerva to search the Hogwarts library but our schedules haven't matched up yet.. I doubt a Ministry manuscript would be there anyway.. " She trailed off and Draco had a thought. 

"You know.. there is another nearly ancient library I'm fairly certain you've not checked yet.."

She turned to look at his face and saw his smirk. She raised an eyebrow, more than curious. "Oh yea?"

"Yea" he said simply. 

She looked at him critically for a moment. She raised an eyebrow and he spoke again "When you told me about the scroll the other day I wondered.. Perhaps it's not lost.. Perhaps just borrowed and never returned.. or stolen." He added the last bit in an undertone. 

She gaped at him. She had never thought to check with the pureblood families - most of which had pretty extensive libraries. She knew, or had heard rather, that the Malfoy's library rivaled that of Hogwarts. Her heart quickened at the thought of it.

"Fancy a trip to the Manor?" He asked.

🖤

After spending nearly two hours getting ready - Each time Hermione attempted to get dressed Draco had her naked again before she knew it - The pair were standing in front of Hermione's massive fireplace ready to floo to the Manor. He took her hand and she looked at him. "Will your Mother be home? Should we be barging over there like this?" She asked, slightly nervous. She had been to the manor multiple times since the end of the war. The ministry had stripped most of the house down and had helped build it back up, ridding the home of the stench of blood, death and the Dark Lord. Hermione and Harry had been happy to help in this effort. From what Hermione knew the only parts of the house that were still original were the more private living spaces, the kitchens, the library and a handful of offices. He may have faced her demons at Malfoy Manor but she had never seen the library. Still, arriving at the manor in this context had Hermione on edge. Would his Mother approve of them? Had she seen the paper this morning? 

He could feel her tensing up. "Relax." he said softly. He took his hand out of hers and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Mothers off at the beach house, remember? We'll be alone. I should send her a note though." He smirked at her "Don't want the gossip to reach her before I do" he said with a wink. 

Dropping his arm he grabbed a dash of powder and with a quick "Malfoy manor" he was gone in the flames. Hermione took a deep breath and followed. 

Waiting on the other side of the flames Draco watched his witch appear. Her dark skinny jeans and sweatshirt were casual but she still looked so sexy. Her Muggle shoes - converse - as she called them made her look adorable. He wanted her to be relaxed, as it was the weekend after all. I'm so thoughtful he thought to himself as he took her hand helping her out of the fireplace. Smiling warmly at each other. Draco put Hermione's hand in the crook of his elbow. 

"I wont waste time giving you the grand tour - let me show you the library my dear" He said leading her away from the sitting room, which looked surprisingly homey, and down a hallway. Hermione could see the Malfoy ancestors watching them, and even heard a few portraits muttering but she ignored it.  Draco didn't seem to notice. Perhaps they were always muttering. 

At the end of the long hallway there was a set of heavy mahogany doors. She could see an M carved into the doors and upon closer inspection saw that the M was truly a snake. She swore she saw it wink at her as Draco pushed open the doors to reveal a vast open room with walls covered in shelves. Mostly full. 

Draco saw Hermione's mouth drop open and he chuckled next to her. "Listen, You have a gander. I'm going to pop upstairs and change. I'll be back but just stay here until I return. It's easy to get lost in this part of the manor." She barely acknowledged him and he laughed and turned to leave. He quickly made his way upstairs and grabbed a pair of joggers and a new t-shirt before returning to Hermione. 

He found her curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. He laughed and said "Scrolls are over here darling" He said pointing to a section of the shelves near the library's desk that were stacked with scrolls instead of books. 

She looked up at him with a blank expression at first and she seemed to remember why they were there after a moment. "OH! right" she all but threw the book away from her and nearly ran to meet him at the other end of the library. This had him laughing for a few moments as they both started carefully searching through the pile of scrolls. He couldn't suppress the grin as he grabbed a particularly decrepit looking scroll with a ministry seal. He tapped her shoulder with it and said "uhh, Hermione I think.." He wasn't allowed to finish his sentence as she caught sight of the parchment in his hand and shouted "Yes! Finally" She was bursting with excitement as she conjured a tube to store it in. He knew what she'd be up to in her office Monday morning. 

She carefully placed the scroll in the tube and shrunk it, placing it in the bag she had brought with her. She turned around to face him again and he nearly started laughing at the sight of her. Her hair was still rather untamed from their morning of passion and she was clearly excited at having found this missing parchment. Draco felt a wide smile creek across his face as she dashed into his arms hugging him tightly around his middle. He warped his arms around her and breathed in her scent. 

"Happy?" He asked, smiling down at her. 

"Immensely you've saved me loads of work." She responded and he nodded. 

"Me too" 

They spent the rest of the late morning strolling around the Manor and it's grounds, taking advantage of a warm partly sunny spring day. It was all he could do to keep his hands off her. They made their way to the kitchen where Draco, ignoring the house elves tears, made them some simple sandwiches. Hermione popped a crisp in her mouth and asked "So you aren't going to show me the famous Slytherin sex god's bedroom?"

Draco nearly choked on the last bite of his sandwich. "If you wanted me all you had to do was ask Hermione. And for your information - the majority of those rumors in school were untrue."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "No orgies in the common room? I thought that's all that ever happened in the dungeons. So you never had a threesome with Blaise and Pansy?" She asked innocently. 

"No!" Draco nearly shouted. "Whoever started that better hope I never hear of it. I've yet to live that down.. Come to think of it Blaise probably told everyone that to hide his own virginity.." He said trailing off, clearly reminiscing. "No Hermione, really, those rumors were false. I had sex with Pansy a few times and hooked up here and there.." He narrowed his eyes mischievously. "Want to know my whole history do you? Or did you just want to get me into my room..?" He asked with a smirk. 

Hermione kept her head held high. "The latter, if you must know." She said primly.

"Well right this way my lady" He said with a smile as he dropped his sandwich and took her arm in his. They made their way to the main stairwell and up it. Draco led her to a hall with 8 doors and at the end of the hall was one open door. "This is my wing" he explained as they walked. "Normally the children of the family have their own wing, in my case I was lucky enough to have it to myself. The rooms magically unlock and decorate themselves for any .. " He turned to look at her smirking again "Incoming family members." She stopped walking for a moment and gaped at him. "Your home is sentient? Like Hogwarts?" He nodded. "Yeah, isn't yours?" he asked and she laughed, continuing on down the hall. 

They were near his door now and she looked up at him again. She was about to ask him if he wanted children but the words died on her tongue as they entered his room. It was nearly the size of her own home. She gaped at him. "This was your childhood room?" She asked incredulously. He just chuckled and sat down on the bed as she explored looking at photos and shrieking as she reached his en-suite. She left the bathroom and eyed his Nimbus in the corner. She raised an eyebrow "Still riding the same broom?" She asked teasingly. He shook his head. 

"You know. If you think this is nice you should see my actual house. I haven't lived here in years so really this is teen aged Draco's room. Don't judge too harshly"

"Well, what would teen aged Draco do with Hermione Granger in his room?" She asked standing in front of him. He opened his legs and grabbed her waist pulling her between his knees. 

"I think.. I'd have done this" He whispered huskily before kissing her