Dead Girls Don't Matter - Draco/Hermione - 1/1
Title: Dead Girls Don’t Matter (1/1)
Author: Tonya (_fullofgrace)
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No own, no sue.
Summary: Draco has a job to finish.
--------
Draco leaned lazily in the doorway, glancing at his watch.
A quarter ‘til midnight.
If he didn't finish his job in the next fifteen minutes, they would show up and finish it for him. And this was one assignment he’d prefer to handle himself, not trusting for a second the Death Eaters to handle the situation the way it should be handled.
The second war had been raging around him for years now. Four to be exact. Draco was beginning to wonder if it would end before he lost count of the years that passed. It should have been long over, if the Dark Lord would have just gotten his act together and simply attacked Potter. But no, he always had some grand plan. Some grand scheme. Even when simply walking up to Potter and shouting a straightforward "Avada Kedavra" could probably finish the job in a much more efficient manner. But that wasn't enough for the Dark Lord. He just didn't want Potter dead. He wanted The Boy Who Lived ripped apart emotionally, his insides yanked and mutilated.
Which had been where tonight‘s plan had come into play. Tonight's plan, three years in the making.
Draco glanced at his watch once more before finally pushing himself from the doorframe. He walked to the far corner of the room and squatted beside the figure situated on the floor.
The brunette, bound at both her wrists and ankles, sat motionless, her back against the wall. Her head was turned away from him as it usually was when he entered the room, and though he would never admit it, the fact that she wouldn't even look at him stirred an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Hermione," he said in a cool, even voice.
She didn't stir.
"I know you can hear me. You're not deaf." He paused, studying her with a tilt of his head. "Granger."
A moment passed before her head slowly rolled towards him, her chestnut eyes glaring right through him. Draco held in the frown he could feel tugging at the corners of his lips.
She would answer to Granger.
She hadn't answered to Granger since Hogwarts. Back when he still called her a mudblood and she still referred to him as a ferret. Back when the second war was simply a threat hanging over everyone's heads, not an actuality in which they lived. Back when they each knew their place in the grand scheme of things-- she at Potter's side and he at his father's.
Too bad the Dark Lord's plans threw both of their worlds off balance. Voldemort had wanted Potter to suffer, and he had known the best way to get at his enemy. Through his friends.
And that had been where Draco had come in, playing the fallen prodigal son. He had gone to Potter and his friends with offers of assistance in their fight against Voldemort's forces. As was to be expected, none of them had believed his story for one second. Weasley had wanted to curse him on sight, and Potter hadn't been much better. Only Granger had been a voice of reason, even as she had eyed Draco with the same suspicion her friends had held, and she had convinced them that having someone who knew the inner workings of the Death Eaters could be an asset.
It took him weeks to win her trust. Months to win her friendship. And years to win...whatever she had offered to give him in the end of all things.
"Hermione," he sighed, and in response, she turned her face away from his again. Draco growled. "Will you fucking stop that?" He grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him.
She held his stare defiantly, and in the back of his mind, he felt a pang of pride that she could still be so strong-willed even bound and made a prisoner.
"Just bloody get it over with, Malfoy," she replied in an even tone.
Hearing his last name roll off her tongue in such a hateful manner bothered him more than he cared for. A sudden urge to do her as much physical and emotional pain as he could filling him, he gripped her face tighter in his hand.
"What exactly did you think, Granger?" he asked, his steely gaze still fixed on her. "That this would end in rainbows and butterflies?"
"No because you don't care about anyone but yourself," she spat back, unfazed. "You selfish. Arrogant. Piece of shit."
He smirked, leaning in close to her, his face so close that their noses brushed each other. "Don't forget you fucked this selfish, arrogant piece of shit, and I believe you enjoyed yourself at that." The smirk intensified. "You thought I actually loved you back, didn't you?"
Her face held that same fiery expression, but he saw the change in her eyes. He saw his words chink her armor even as she continued to act as if they hadn't bothered her in the least.
The weakness of getting to know someone, getting to care for someone. You knew exactly when, where, and just how deep to cut.
He could feel the muscles of her jaw tense under his fingers, and she strained to pull her face from his grasp. He kept his firm hold of her chin, not allowing her to turn away from him again.
"Do you love me?" he asked bluntly.
She stopped struggling and blinked at him, silent.
Draco raised an expectant eyebrow. "Do. You. Love. Me?"
The silence seemed to suffocate him as he waited for her to answer, and as the seconds ticked into what felt like an eternity for him, she finally spoke.
"No," she replied coldly, her eyes once again betraying her as they shimmered with tears Draco knew she was fighting hard to reel in.
"Good," he replied evenly, finally letting go of her face. "Remember that."
He finally stood, reaching inside his robes for his wand, her eyes following his every movement. And for the first time all night, he wished she'd go back to ignoring him, to turning her head so not to see him.
"Hermione."
She glared up at him silently in response.
Draco hesitated with a frown. "Close your eyes."
Hermione continued to watch him, and for a moment, Draco wondered if she would even do as he asked. But then she slowly closed her eyes, that simple action finally causing the tears she had been holding in to finally trickle down her face.
With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the slight tremor in his hand as he aimed his wand at her. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the hesitation, couldn't see the uncertainty on his face. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the man she had thought she had grown to love take her life with two simple words. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see him mouth "I love you" before uttering the killing curse.
Author: Tonya (_fullofgrace)
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No own, no sue.
Summary: Draco has a job to finish.
--------
Draco leaned lazily in the doorway, glancing at his watch.
A quarter ‘til midnight.
If he didn't finish his job in the next fifteen minutes, they would show up and finish it for him. And this was one assignment he’d prefer to handle himself, not trusting for a second the Death Eaters to handle the situation the way it should be handled.
The second war had been raging around him for years now. Four to be exact. Draco was beginning to wonder if it would end before he lost count of the years that passed. It should have been long over, if the Dark Lord would have just gotten his act together and simply attacked Potter. But no, he always had some grand plan. Some grand scheme. Even when simply walking up to Potter and shouting a straightforward "Avada Kedavra" could probably finish the job in a much more efficient manner. But that wasn't enough for the Dark Lord. He just didn't want Potter dead. He wanted The Boy Who Lived ripped apart emotionally, his insides yanked and mutilated.
Which had been where tonight‘s plan had come into play. Tonight's plan, three years in the making.
Draco glanced at his watch once more before finally pushing himself from the doorframe. He walked to the far corner of the room and squatted beside the figure situated on the floor.
The brunette, bound at both her wrists and ankles, sat motionless, her back against the wall. Her head was turned away from him as it usually was when he entered the room, and though he would never admit it, the fact that she wouldn't even look at him stirred an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Hermione," he said in a cool, even voice.
She didn't stir.
"I know you can hear me. You're not deaf." He paused, studying her with a tilt of his head. "Granger."
A moment passed before her head slowly rolled towards him, her chestnut eyes glaring right through him. Draco held in the frown he could feel tugging at the corners of his lips.
She would answer to Granger.
She hadn't answered to Granger since Hogwarts. Back when he still called her a mudblood and she still referred to him as a ferret. Back when the second war was simply a threat hanging over everyone's heads, not an actuality in which they lived. Back when they each knew their place in the grand scheme of things-- she at Potter's side and he at his father's.
Too bad the Dark Lord's plans threw both of their worlds off balance. Voldemort had wanted Potter to suffer, and he had known the best way to get at his enemy. Through his friends.
And that had been where Draco had come in, playing the fallen prodigal son. He had gone to Potter and his friends with offers of assistance in their fight against Voldemort's forces. As was to be expected, none of them had believed his story for one second. Weasley had wanted to curse him on sight, and Potter hadn't been much better. Only Granger had been a voice of reason, even as she had eyed Draco with the same suspicion her friends had held, and she had convinced them that having someone who knew the inner workings of the Death Eaters could be an asset.
It took him weeks to win her trust. Months to win her friendship. And years to win...whatever she had offered to give him in the end of all things.
"Hermione," he sighed, and in response, she turned her face away from his again. Draco growled. "Will you fucking stop that?" He grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him.
She held his stare defiantly, and in the back of his mind, he felt a pang of pride that she could still be so strong-willed even bound and made a prisoner.
"Just bloody get it over with, Malfoy," she replied in an even tone.
Hearing his last name roll off her tongue in such a hateful manner bothered him more than he cared for. A sudden urge to do her as much physical and emotional pain as he could filling him, he gripped her face tighter in his hand.
"What exactly did you think, Granger?" he asked, his steely gaze still fixed on her. "That this would end in rainbows and butterflies?"
"No because you don't care about anyone but yourself," she spat back, unfazed. "You selfish. Arrogant. Piece of shit."
He smirked, leaning in close to her, his face so close that their noses brushed each other. "Don't forget you fucked this selfish, arrogant piece of shit, and I believe you enjoyed yourself at that." The smirk intensified. "You thought I actually loved you back, didn't you?"
Her face held that same fiery expression, but he saw the change in her eyes. He saw his words chink her armor even as she continued to act as if they hadn't bothered her in the least.
The weakness of getting to know someone, getting to care for someone. You knew exactly when, where, and just how deep to cut.
He could feel the muscles of her jaw tense under his fingers, and she strained to pull her face from his grasp. He kept his firm hold of her chin, not allowing her to turn away from him again.
"Do you love me?" he asked bluntly.
She stopped struggling and blinked at him, silent.
Draco raised an expectant eyebrow. "Do. You. Love. Me?"
The silence seemed to suffocate him as he waited for her to answer, and as the seconds ticked into what felt like an eternity for him, she finally spoke.
"No," she replied coldly, her eyes once again betraying her as they shimmered with tears Draco knew she was fighting hard to reel in.
"Good," he replied evenly, finally letting go of her face. "Remember that."
He finally stood, reaching inside his robes for his wand, her eyes following his every movement. And for the first time all night, he wished she'd go back to ignoring him, to turning her head so not to see him.
"Hermione."
She glared up at him silently in response.
Draco hesitated with a frown. "Close your eyes."
Hermione continued to watch him, and for a moment, Draco wondered if she would even do as he asked. But then she slowly closed her eyes, that simple action finally causing the tears she had been holding in to finally trickle down her face.
With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the slight tremor in his hand as he aimed his wand at her. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the hesitation, couldn't see the uncertainty on his face. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see the man she had thought she had grown to love take her life with two simple words. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see him mouth "I love you" before uttering the killing curse.