It Was A Business Transaction
By Ginnyfics21 on Ao3
New completed ficlet, Dramione, 3 chapters, rated E!
Hermione's eyes moved between Draco's as she tried to analyze him; to figure out what was going on behind his glinting stare and wicked smirk as he loomed over her, one hand on the wall beside her head. "Is this what you wanted for yourself?”
“Granger, I have my own personal vault of galleons, the manor, a revolving door of top-rate witches trying to get into my bed, and my name on top of this building, which holds access to the largest private funding in Wizarding Britain. What more do you think I could want?”
”Redemption?” She said, “Love? Friends?”
He chuckled in a way that made her insides twist. “Who would want love, when the alternative is Hermione Granger, moments away from dropping down to her knees in my office in order to get a piece of my funding for her little projects?”
”They’re important projects,” she said definitively.
”If they were so important, the Ministry would fund them. But they’re not, are they? So here you are, convincing me as to why I should help you out.” His free hand lifted and the back of his pointed finger ghosted along her jawline so softly she barely felt it and Hermione’s breath hitched.
”I don’t know that I am convincing you as much as you are extorting me.”
”This doesn’t feel forced to me. I made you an offer, and you seem to be accepting that offer,” it was silent for a moment as his hand dropped to his side again and he waited for her to disagree, to which she did not. “In business, we just call that a deal.”
”Sexual acts for private funding is not a proper business deal, Malfoy.”
”Proper? No, I wouldn’t say so either. But substantially more interesting. Very telling as to how important the money is to someone.”
”Do you strike these deals often?” She prompted.
”Not often, no. But there was something about seeing how far you’d go for it that felt… very powerful.”
“Well, I’m here,” she kept her voice even, even as chills erupted down her arms. “And the money is incredibly important to me. And in spite of doing this deal with you, it’ll go towards the early education of future generations of muggleborn witches and wizards and I like knowing that money is coming from you.”
Draco sighed, “Like I didn’t already pay hundreds of thousands of galleons to the war relief funds as part of my sentence after Azkaban.”
”Your family paid that. This company is your money, based on my understanding. You used your own money earned on your personal investments and endeavors to build this company. And I want your money to pay for my muggleborn initiative fund.”
”Then perhaps it’s time for you to hold up your end of our deal.” His eyes raked down her body pointedly and then landed back on her own. There was something more than taunting there; a kind of fire or spark that she was trying to discern, but she didn’t have quite the time to break it down in this moment.
”Alright,” her voice wanted to quiver beneath his gaze, but she didn't let it.
He pushed off the wall he’d backed her into and slipped his hands into his pockets as he watched her chest expand with a breath and then retract slowly as she let it out, her fingers slipping the first button free of its clasp. She wasn’t going to back down from his gaze and she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing embarrassment. She’d hold her head high and retain as much dignity as one could, given the circumstances. She had agreed to this deal because the exchange was worth it. Because she was going to help people with his money. People she couldn’t help without it. Gods the way he was looking at her was brazenly wolfish. And she wondered if she had underestimated what he might do with her, now that she had fully submitted herself to this. They hadn’t discussed details of exactly what would be exchanged, generic sexual acts had just been implied.
His lips pulled upwards as he watched her undo one… two… more buttons. And then his hand reached out and grabbed hers as he paused it there. Her heart pounded in her chest wondering if he might want to undo the rest himself; If she’d willingly done enough that he was already ready to take control of the situation. But what he said next was the last thing she had expected.
”Keep your shirt on, Granger,” his voice was low and his eyes still lit with something she couldn't read, something she was sure was enjoying how vulnerable he’d made her, “I’ll approve the funding.”
“W-what?” She asked as the floor seemed to shift from under her and she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “You’ll approve it? Just like that? I haven’t even done anything for it.”
He stepped back, still meeting her gaze, lips still turned upwards, “Yes. I’ll approve it. I just wanted to see how far you’d go to get it. Now I know.” And then he turned for his desk, pulling his hands from his pocket and gesturing to the chair across from him as he sat.
Hermione had to force her feet to move again as she buttoned her shirt back to the top and slowly moved to the chair and sat herself in it. Her body was flushed and warm and her stomach in knots from what she thought she’d have to do. But what confused her the most; what she could feel, indisputably, but almost could not acknowledge… was the disappointment that also sat in her gut after he'd stopped her.
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