Draco's P.O.V-

She slapped me! That filthy wench slapped me! I'm a Malfoy for Merlin's sake. I'm her superior, and she dare lay her hands on me. Oh how I would love to wipe that grin of her face. That would put her in her place. I'll have to teach her not to mess with me.

"Let's go, Malfoy!" she bellows, dragging me away from my thoughts. Looking around, I see her standing at the front door, foot tapping against the floor and arms crossed over her body.

"Alright, alright, don't get yourself in a twist," I bark, smirking as an angry blush sweeps across her cheeks.

"Just open the door, my hands are full," Hermione snaps. A jacket and a bag strung over her shoulder, but otherwise empty-handed. Rolling my eyes, I reach for the door handle, only to leap back the moment my fingers brush against the metal.

"What was that?" I snarl, cradling my hand against my chest. It spasms once, twice, then stills as a burning sensations seemed to flow through my very veins. Hermione laughs, her entire form shaking and she has to lean against the wall to keep from stumbling. "My hand is on fire," I hiss through clenched teeth. "Mind fixing that and explaining why?" The burn was spreading up, reaching my elbow now. Sweat is beginning to bead at the back of my neck and the muscles in my arms were twitching as the fire crept higher and higher.

With a quick flick of her wand, the pain disappeared, and I let out a relieved breath. To be sure that there was no damage, I flex my fingers, then level her with a dark look.

"It was the warding I placed yesterday so you wouldn't try to leave without my permission. I just wanted to check to see if they worked properly," she chuckles. A grin spreads over her lips as she waits for my reaction, but I won't give in to her expectations of me, not yet at least.

"Would you mind opening the door then?" I ask. She looks disappointed but recovers and bows in a mocking manner before pulling open the door with no trouble. "Filthy girl," I mutter as I stalk past her and down the steps of the porch. With my back to her, I pause and drag in a deep breath of the clean air, glad to be out of my temporary prison.

After a moment of calm silence, she comes up beside me and says, "if you try to run away, I'll hunt you down and have you locked up in a real prison." The words are spit like acid from her mouth, and not for the first time, I notice the difference between this girl and the one from after the war. Both fierce, deadly in their own right, except now she was colder, meaner, ruthless almost. It makes me grin, seeing the once calculative gryffindor princess act like a slytherin rat.

"Don't worry," I reply, "I'm not planning on running off."

She just smirks and says, "good" before snatching up my arm. I don't have time to react, because in the next moment, I'm sprawled on the dank and slightly damp ground of an alleyway. With a groan, I slowly climb back to my feet and grab the wall for support until my stomach stops churning.

"A bit of a warning would be nice," I hiss as I stretch out my leg, loosening the muscle I had twisted in the fall.

She says, "I'd much rather watch you stumble and fall while I land perfectly. It makes apparition much more amusing." Turning away, she leaves the empty alleyway we'd arrived in and stops just before entering in a small shop across the street. "Come on!" she calls back. "I want breakfast and I'm sure you haven't eaten anything in a while." Shoving off the wall, I follow after her.

"What is this place?" I ask as she opens the door of the shop. Immediately a strong, bitter scent hits my nose, overpowering the sugary-sweet smells that come soon after. It's familiar of course, mother had specially requested the drink on several occasions, but I couldn't recall the name.

Hermione opens her mouth, most likely to explain where we are, but something catches her eye over my shoulder. A smile lights up her face before she is bouncing past me, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the shop.

Brow furrowed, I spin around and search for what had captured her attention. At first I see nothing of interest, but then she stops in front of a tall boy with brown hair and soft features. Laughter spills from her lips as she greets him, high-pitched and sweet, making my lip curl in disgust. She was flirting with the man, and even worse, he seemed to be reciprocating. As far as I could recall, she'd never been much of the girly type, let alone one to flirt so blatantly.

Shaking my head, I'm about to turn away from the scene, but a thought pops into my mind and I'm already putting it into motion. The next time Granger laughs, I march over to her with falsified and overdone rage clearly visible on my expression.

"You're too funny, Samuel," she giggles, playfully smacking the man's arm. Then her eyes land on me, and I've instantly regained her attention. Good. "What are you dong here?" She looks angry, but her voice is surprised, which, unknowingly to her, only helps my plan.

"What am I doing here?" I hiss, talking quiet enough that only her and the muggle boy can hear. "I came to fetch you a drink for work and find you traipsing around with this-this rat! Does our marriage mean nothing to you?" Her mouth would have hit the floor had it not been attached to her face. Cheeks blossoming with a vibrant red, she tries to come up with anything to respond with, but I'm already whipping around to the muggle. "And you-"

"Wait, listen, I didn't-" the muggle attempts to calm me, but I speak over him.

"Don't you know better than to take what is someone else's?" Covering a grimace at my next actions, I reach out and pull her towards me. "She's mine, understand?" I tear away from his shocked expression, turning to look down at the girl in my arms.

Her eyes are open wide, her chest heaving, the blood now completely drained from her face. She's paler than death, but I don't dwell on it.

Taking a deep breath, I slam my lips onto hers and kiss her forcefully. Wincing, I shove my tongue into her unwilling mouth and she squeaks, trying unsuccessfully to push me away. She struggles to escape, clearly wanting out, but I wasn't done acting yet, so I squeeze her arm tightly until she stops moving. A moment passes, and I'm about to draw away, but she kisses me back and it's all I can do to not gag. Alarm bells ring in my head, telling me to toss this abomination off of me, but I don't. Not immediately.

Her nails rip against my side, through the fabric and straight across the skin. Cursing, I jump away and press a hand to my side. It takes a few, dumbstruck moments of silence before I notice the muggle was gone. By that time, Granger has already snagged me in her grip and was dragging my out of the shop.

She thunders down the pavement, scaring away anyone in her path, and doesn't stop until she reaches a small park. The moment we pass through the clinking metal gates, she turns with fire in her eyes and poison on her tongue, prepared to spew a slew of insults.

"I need to walk by myself. I won't go anywhere, but don't try to follow after me." Granger is struck silent by my words. For a moment I think she'll object, but then she nods her head and I'm walking away with only a single thought circulating in my head. Why on earth hadn't I pulled away?