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Chapter 3 of 20
PyttanHer forced, unhappy and loveless marriage had ended when Draco Malfoy was lost at sea. Now he's back.
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With its grey exterior and diamond-paned windows, Malfoy Manor looked like the lovely old house it wasn't. It just camouflaged well. If you didn't know about the oubliette below the dungeons, and the dungeons below the torture chambers, no one would suspect that they were there. You also needed not to know the inhabitants, to be perfectly honest.
The house was like one of those apples that looked so delicious on the outside. Only when you bit into it, you'd find that it was rotting from the inside out.
She had reached the door, and Merlin, it was cold this evening. Hermione rubbed her arms to get some warmth back and then took a few deep breaths before knocking. A sneering house-elf opened the door and let her in.
Poor Dobby, how he must have hated it here. Being the only decent one of the lot, his life must have been pure hell, since the house-elves at Malfoy Manor were more like Kreacher than Dobby, only without Kreacher's redeeming characteristics. He would have been a natural target for everyone, much as she'd been when she lived here.
"Miss will be waiting here in the hall, Miss, while Roach is asking Master if the Mudblood should be let in the house," the elf said and stuck its pointed noise in the air in a very apt—and comic, if one was in the right mood—imitation of Malfoy Manor's mistress. She contemplated letting the elf's rudeness slide but decided against it. She wouldn't stay in the hall, like an unwanted visitor begging to be let in when she'd been invited, even surreptitiously ordered, to come. Besides, she hated the hall where the lead-light windows—depicting green serpents slithering through a bed of red Poinsettias—closed out the light and distorted the view of the world outside. And Roach knew who she was. She was so very tempted to threaten him with clothes, but it struck her as too Malfoyesque to bear.
She drew another deep breath, this time to keep herself from harming the obnoxious house-elf. "Oh. Well, since I was summoned here by Mr Malfoy himself, I assumed I was welcome. I'll just leave, then, and send an owl with an excuse for the misunderstanding," Hermione said, taking care to sound as polite as she could.
The house-elf gave her a wide-eyed look and spluttered something incoherent.
"The dining room?" she asked.
The elf shook its head hard enough for his floppy ears to dance around his head.
"Where, then?" she asked.
"The drawing room, Mrs Malfoy," said the elf, the answer a frightened whine. "Young Mistress," it added with a sycophantic bow, making Hermione want to snarl at it. And of course they would be in the drawing room. A conscious choice on Lucius' part, without a doubt. She took two deep breaths as she ascended the broad stone stairs. She couldn't start chattering her teeth. It just wouldn't do.
The drawing room was lit with candles, and the moment she entered, Lucius, Narcissa and a man she didn't recognise rose from their seats. The small group walked towards her, smiling, the man she didn't know making up the rear.
"Hermione, I'm so pleased to see you." Lucius's lazy drawl made her skin prickle, and when he reached for her, she stepped away to avoid his arm. Lucius smirked, looking pleased.
"Dear," said Narcissa, and before Hermione had time to move away again, Narcissa took a firm hold of her arms and kissed the air beside her cheeks. Narcissa straightened, looked Hermione over and sighed.
"If you would choose to wear your hair up, you would have so many more options than you have now." Narcissa made a disgusted little moue as she looked Hermione over. Then she leaned close to Hermione's ear and whispered, "I know Madam Malkin is expensive. I just want you to know that you can always turn to me if you're short of money. It would be our little secret."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to do that." She just hated Narcissa sometimes. Every once in a while it was a toss-up between her and her husband as to who was really the worst of them.
Narcissa gave Hermione a thin-lipped smile. "Indeed, you should," she said and turned her head to Lucius, giving him an accusing glare, the very clear message of the look being that it was his fault a Mudblood witch without any sense of style was standing in Narcissa's opulent drawing room. Truth to tell, it was his fault. Which was amusing in its own way.
The second man in the room stepped forwards as Lucius signalled for him.
"May I introduce Mr Markus Licinius. I don't think you've met. He's here to help us with the legalities." Lucius sounded as if he was talking to someone daft, and Hermione's jaws were beginning to ache with the effort of not screaming. She took a deep breath and smiled at the man. He wasn't proven guilty of anything, after all—not yet, at any rate. But on the other hand, Mr Licinius was, at least as far as looks went, exactly what she'd expected. Even his robe was formal in the same way an exclusive Muggle suit was. He couldn't look more suave, slick and predatory than he already did. And it seemed effortless on his part, and not in any way affected, which made her uneasy. He smiled at her and took the hand she offered, bowing over it. He didn't let go of her hand as he straightened, and when she tried to pull it out of his grip, he squeezed it harder, hurting her fingers so badly she gasped.
"Mrs Malfoy. How nice to meet you. I'm very honoured to meet one of the ... former ... war-heroes. Or maybe you prefer war-heroine?" He gave her hand a small pat before letting it go. "The legalities are nothing to worry about, I assure you. Time-consuming, but not very difficult. There are just a few clarifications that need to be addressed. You can just enjoy the moment." He gave her a solemn nod and a smile. The smile showed too many teeth.
"I'm afraid I don't know what this is about," said Hermione, and looked at Lucius. "I assume it concerns who will get the Malfoy estate when Lucius and Narcissa die, but as I'm not interested in it to begin with, I don't know why I'm here."
Mr Licinius gave Lucius and Narcissa a quick glance, a smirk hovering on his lips. The silent exchange between the three of them struck her as odd; she had the urge to turn and run from the situation.
She looked closer at Lucius instead. She found glee; she could read that in those opaque grey eyes of his. She saw happiness too. And pure, unhidden cruelty, aimed at her.
She looked at Narcissa. There was serenity and peace. Narcissa was at peace.
They were at peace, they were happy, and they were both smiling.
This didn't bode well for her at all.
"Mrs Malfoy, your husband is not dead," said Markus Licinius, his air solemn. And then he licked his lower lip, giving Hermione a fleeting impression of a lizard tasting air.
Not dead?
Lucius just kept smiling without saying anything, watching her reaction.
"Unexpected, I realise," said someone behind her, and all the hairs on her body rose as she turned around. The room was tilting, and she had trouble keeping her balance, since her knees were shaking so badly too.
She looked at the man who was now sauntering into the room in a way that was much too familiar.
Draco was moving toward her.
The room shifted again, and she heard someone speak from a long distance away.
It couldn't be. He had fallen from the yacht, and he had never surfaced again. The storm had made it impossible to save him.
Zabini had told them.
It wasn't Draco. It couldn't be.
"You're dead," she said. The room tilted again, and her knees buckled as she tried to compensate for the movement.
The man who looked like Draco smirked and said something she couldn't hear because of the loud humming noise in the room. What was that sound anyway? Then all the candles in the room went out at the same time.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Deception
175 Reviews | 6.25/10 Average
What an incredible adaptation! I love it. Im a huge Kleypas fan so it was an even greater joy to read. I love your Hermione. She was traumatized and damaged, but still recognizable. It was a verybelievable characterization. Your Severus was great, too.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! It's my very first story featuring HGSS, and I was quite nervous writing it. I'm a Kleypas fan too, btw ;).
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! It's my very first story featuring HGSS, and I was quite nervous writing it. I'm a Kleypas fan too, btw ;).
Haha! I love the ending--thank you so much for sharing, it was a wonderful read! :D
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you for the kind words, and I'm so happy that you liked it.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you for the kind words, and I'm so happy that you liked it.
Yay. Sounds like everyone gets their just desserts. With extra severus on Hermione's serving :-)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Heh! Indeed and who wouldn't want som extra Severus? Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Heh! Indeed and who wouldn't want som extra Severus? Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
*Hugs you*
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
*Hugs you*
Well, that was an uexpected development. What with Severus being "Draco'. How is it that Severus was a metamorphagus? Why did you give him that particular talent? I can see that as being really handy for spying though.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
The truth is that when I wrote this story, my first idea had nothing to do with Severus at all. He strong armed his way into this story and just took over. As far as the metamorphmagus thing, well, my idea really is that if you meddle with Dark Arts, home made hexes and Potions and then get bitten by a large venomous (?) snake, you are bound to be affected by it in some very interesting ways. I had to cut that part out of the story though, since I didn't manage to fit it into the story very well. It ruined the pacing, and it felt very constructed and strange. Instead I let Hermione make the metamorphmagus connection, and then I left it in the hands and minds of the readers. I did concider a Polyjuice take on the situation, but that didn't flow very well either and left me with some major problems to explain away. And it would have been very handy talent for a spy wouldn't it? ;) Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
The truth is that when I wrote this story, my first idea had nothing to do with Severus at all. He strong armed his way into this story and just took over. As far as the metamorphmagus thing, well, my idea really is that if you meddle with Dark Arts, home made hexes and Potions and then get bitten by a large venomous (?) snake, you are bound to be affected by it in some very interesting ways. I had to cut that part out of the story though, since I didn't manage to fit it into the story very well. It ruined the pacing, and it felt very constructed and strange. Instead I let Hermione make the metamorphmagus connection, and then I left it in the hands and minds of the readers. I did concider a Polyjuice take on the situation, but that didn't flow very well either and left me with some major problems to explain away. And it would have been very handy talent for a spy wouldn't it? ;) Thank you for reading and reviewing!
love severus's personality in the story!! need another story....
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! Another story is on it's way sometime after new year, and I hope you will give it a chance.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! Another story is on it's way sometime after new year, and I hope you will give it a chance.
I hate when you want to be mad at someone, then something happens and you never get to vent your feelings. When he's better, she'll have to take it out on him in bed, lol. I haven't tried to take over your story for awhile, huh? I would love it if Draco was off on his own agenda trying to pose as Snape ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yeah. It is so very frustrating. And it's typical that Severus is the one to do just that exact thing. And as far as taking over the story ... nooo. Severus is still the man with the agenda. ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yeah. It is so very frustrating. And it's typical that Severus is the one to do just that exact thing. And as far as taking over the story ... nooo. Severus is still the man with the agenda. ;)
Uh, oh...Are the transformations causing the migraines?
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Nah. He's a tense man. He gets them on occation ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Nah. He's a tense man. He gets them on occation ;)
Okey... Don't panic... breath... inside... outside... where is the rest of this chapter??????Please!!! where is it????? XD
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
*snickers* I thought a cliffhanger would be just the thing at this point ... ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
*snickers* I thought a cliffhanger would be just the thing at this point ... ;)
She'll have to save the bollocking for later... ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yes, indeed :D
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yes, indeed :D
i have to agree with moiramountain :) dear author you do leave us hanging with suspense! haha
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
i'm actually very happy to hear that. :D Thank you!
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
i'm actually very happy to hear that. :D Thank you!
And..... ????? Gods, woman, it's 1:45 AM here in Colorado - I'm already up much too late working on IHN (yes, really, I am, I am....) and you feed me this tiny morsel of intrigue ???? Oh, but can't we all empathize with Hermione, here - furious and frantic, all at the same time - and longing for another of those sob inducing sessions, no doubt. /g/
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I want you all to keep reading! I needed to do somehing that would make you keep at it ;). And yes: you get so angry when a loved one behaves recklessly and here Hermione really has more reason than most to be angry. I would be livid from the worry alone and adding his highhandedness ... I would say he got off easy with the migrain. And I think the both need to sob a bit ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I want you all to keep reading! I needed to do somehing that would make you keep at it ;). And yes: you get so angry when a loved one behaves recklessly and here Hermione really has more reason than most to be angry. I would be livid from the worry alone and adding his highhandedness ... I would say he got off easy with the migrain. And I think the both need to sob a bit ;)
Ruh roh...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Indeed. Is it Draco? Is it someone else? Will Severus find out? Is it really Severus? Check in for the next part of Deception. ;)
Response from cmwinters (Reviewer)
Same bat time, same bat channel! 
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Indeed. Is it Draco? Is it someone else? Will Severus find out? Is it really Severus? Check in for the next part of Deception. ;)
Response from cmwinters (Reviewer)
Same bat time, same bat channel!
Ahhh! I love how possessive you have written Snape, very "in character". Like Hermione, I (as a reader) feel simultaneously intrigued and frightened by him -- and I do love it when Snape is portrayed this way. I love the ambiguity of his nature, and the extremes his personality tends to fluctuate between.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I love ambigous Snape too. The way his moral compass sometimes seem to point in the right direction for all the wrong reasons. And there is no doubt in my mind that he is prepared to do plenty to get his way. I'm very happy you told me this since it's exactly how I wanted to depict him. Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Response from KingPig (Reviewer)
"The way his moral compass sometimes seem to point in the right direction for all the wrong reasons." This is the best description of him and his nature that I've ever come across!
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I love ambigous Snape too. The way his moral compass sometimes seem to point in the right direction for all the wrong reasons. And there is no doubt in my mind that he is prepared to do plenty to get his way. I'm very happy you told me this since it's exactly how I wanted to depict him. Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Response from KingPig (Reviewer)
"The way his moral compass sometimes seem to point in the right direction for all the wrong reasons." This is the best description of him and his nature that I've ever come across!
Problem solved - the real Draco is confronted with his own doppleganger and drops dead from shock !! Nice and neat...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Nice and neat, that is true. But Severus wouldfind that so very unsatisfactory...
Response from moiramountain (Reviewer)
Yeah, if I were the real Draco, I'd be heading straight for that deep dark ocean that supposedly took me the first time - jump in, take in a lungful of water, and get it over with - far better than what Severus has in mind for me, no doubt.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Nice and neat, that is true. But Severus wouldfind that so very unsatisfactory...
Response from moiramountain (Reviewer)
Yeah, if I were the real Draco, I'd be heading straight for that deep dark ocean that supposedly took me the first time - jump in, take in a lungful of water, and get it over with - far better than what Severus has in mind for me, no doubt.
What a crazy position for Hermione to be in. She wants Draco gone for good, but is unwilling to use the one means at her disposal. And for Severus, she is important, so does he ignore her and kill Draco to ensure her safety (and his position), or does he respect her wishes, but take the chance that Draco show up to claim his old life and his wife? And just what is Draco doing anyway? If it really is Draco ...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Horrible position, I agree. And you have just put me in a position where I can't answer even one of your questions without giving the plot away. ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Horrible position, I agree. And you have just put me in a position where I can't answer even one of your questions without giving the plot away. ;)
ooooohhh..... nice!! :) hahaha love the possessive!Snape :)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you! And I'm very fond of possessive Snape too. anot sure I would want to be the object of his desire though ...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you! And I'm very fond of possessive Snape too. anot sure I would want to be the object of his desire though ...
what?? could be what reader76 said?? please!! don't let it be Draco!! He must to be dead!! poor Hermione...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yes. Dreadful thing if he has returned, isn't it? But you don't know yet. And I ain't telln'. ;)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Yes. Dreadful thing if he has returned, isn't it? But you don't know yet. And I ain't telln'. ;)
Oh, my. That sounds more like a Draco reaction to me.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Now, if I were to acomment on that, I would give to much away ;).
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Now, if I were to acomment on that, I would give to much away ;).
Oh God! I like how make it Snape.... you can feel secure and happy with him, no matter that he is thinking how to kill to the worst of his enemies... hahaha... I love him!!
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! I was trying to convay that, so I'm glad you think so.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you so much! I was trying to convay that, so I'm glad you think so.
Very well handled. *applauds* Love the dichotomy of both iof their feelings/needs. :)
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I really wanted that to come through in the chapter, so I'm very happy to hear this. And thank you!
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I really wanted that to come through in the chapter, so I'm very happy to hear this. And thank you!
I am intrigued by how eagerly he wants her. Is there a back story? Did he have an interest in her before all of this went down? Or is he just a man and by default, cannot resist being with her? I was torn in my feelings about him. On the one hand, he seems really seems forceful with her, but then he was also careful and considerate. I just don't know what to think. I do want to know more.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Severus decided to return in the guise of Draco after Plucky ran into him. He assumed Draco and Hermione were happy together, and since he really didn't mind having a nubile young wife he decided to try this little ruse (opportunist, yes indeed). Then, as it turned out, things got complicated, and he found himself attracted to the new Hermione, damaged as she is. And yes. He is both very domineering but still considerate, in his own way and when he choses to be. That is very much the way I see him ... And there is more. Five chapters to be exact and two of them are in queue. I hope you'll like them. Thank you! I love concrit reviews.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Severus decided to return in the guise of Draco after Plucky ran into him. He assumed Draco and Hermione were happy together, and since he really didn't mind having a nubile young wife he decided to try this little ruse (opportunist, yes indeed). Then, as it turned out, things got complicated, and he found himself attracted to the new Hermione, damaged as she is. And yes. He is both very domineering but still considerate, in his own way and when he choses to be. That is very much the way I see him ... And there is more. Five chapters to be exact and two of them are in queue. I hope you'll like them. Thank you! I love concrit reviews.
I want to say that was sweet... but it is not quite the right word. It was sweet for him to let her be in control to show he wouldn't hurt her, but I fear his possessiveness may be as strong as Draco's cruelty.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I would say that your fears are very well founded. His sweetness is, after all, rooted in the desire to have her, to bind her to him, rather than anything else. And in a way he is very sweet, but Hermione is a very brave woman, taking him on. Thank you for reviewing. I might even dare to try writing erotica again.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
I would say that your fears are very well founded. His sweetness is, after all, rooted in the desire to have her, to bind her to him, rather than anything else. And in a way he is very sweet, but Hermione is a very brave woman, taking him on. Thank you for reviewing. I might even dare to try writing erotica again.
I love how strikingly vulnerable you have presented Hermione, all while allowing glimpses of her inner strength ring through during the more intense moments. I also really enjoy the slight struggle Snape seems to have between showing empathy for Hermione's situation and his innate need to dominate.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you for telling me! That is exactly what I was trying to show the reader. After all Hermione has been through, she is still a very brave, even bold person. And Severus--dominant and devious as he is--is still working so hard to make this something that can bring them together, maybe for the first time making the right choises. I felt very uncertain about my ability to convey what I wanted as I wrote this chapter. I tend to avoid writing erotica, and I wanted to bring the characters and the story forward too, so your review makes me very happy.
Response from KingPig (Reviewer)
Please don't avoid writing erotica -- you do it so well!! You can manage what few writers can -- the ability to write a steamy scene that is not only very "hawt," but also actually propels the story forward, and portrays the delicate balance within your characters between a driving, instinctual need and the fragile fear of a deeper intimacy -- and you do it with a natural ease. You are a very talented writer, and if nothing else, this chapter proves that you can easily and deftly handle the double-edged sword that is Lemony Goodness.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
You made me tear up now. Thank you! I was so nervous about this, and I never expected it to be recieved so well. It means a lot to me. So much I might even dare to write erotica again ...
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Thank you for telling me! That is exactly what I was trying to show the reader. After all Hermione has been through, she is still a very brave, even bold person. And Severus--dominant and devious as he is--is still working so hard to make this something that can bring them together, maybe for the first time making the right choises. I felt very uncertain about my ability to convey what I wanted as I wrote this chapter. I tend to avoid writing erotica, and I wanted to bring the characters and the story forward too, so your review makes me very happy.
Response from KingPig (Reviewer)
Please don't avoid writing erotica -- you do it so well!! You can manage what few writers can -- the ability to write a steamy scene that is not only very "hawt," but also actually propels the story forward, and portrays the delicate balance within your characters between a driving, instinctual need and the fragile fear of a deeper intimacy -- and you do it with a natural ease. You are a very talented writer, and if nothing else, this chapter proves that you can easily and deftly handle the double-edged sword that is Lemony Goodness.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
You made me tear up now. Thank you! I was so nervous about this, and I never expected it to be recieved so well. It means a lot to me. So much I might even dare to write erotica again ...
It's heartbreaking finding out what Draco did to her. I wonder how Severus can be so sure he's dead? A million fiery deaths would still be too good for him.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Draco turned out worse than I thought when I started writing the story. And yes, I thing Draco snogging a Dementor would be a good punishment for him in this story ... Draco has been gone for a long time, so Severus is really only taking a calculated risk, which is what he tends to do I think. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story. It's nice to have you along for the ride.
Response from Pyttan (Author of Deception)
Draco turned out worse than I thought when I started writing the story. And yes, I thing Draco snogging a Dementor would be a good punishment for him in this story ... Draco has been gone for a long time, so Severus is really only taking a calculated risk, which is what he tends to do I think. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story. It's nice to have you along for the ride.