treat for elegantsundance
Title: The Horseman
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG
The Horsemen
"Yes, you're a handsome devil, aren't you?" Hermione crooned, smoothing the bay's thick forelock over the white star on his forehead.
The horse whickered in agreement and inched closer, rubbing his head against the front of Hermione's shirt and forcing her to shift her weight in order to keep her balance and her perch on the fence rail. His wide nostrils flared as he sniffed her pocket. Large teeth nibbled the cloth hopefully, and Hermione laughed.
"Shameless beggar." She pulled a sugar cube from the front pocket of her sweatshirt and offered it in the flat of her hand. She laughed again, enjoying both the whiskery chops brushing one palm and the velvety soft ear she stroked with the other. Really, it had been too long since she'd been around a horse. A lifetime ago, before Hogwarts, riding her grandparents' pony through the countryside had been one of her favorite ways to spend a summer day. Like so many other things, though, horseback riding had been set aside when she turned eleven and entered a world of floo powder, broomsticks, and Apparition.
"Would you let me ride you?" she asked, eyeing his broad, bare back.
He snorted, far more interested in investigating her pocket again.
"Don't be greedy." She reached into her pocket anyway to indulge him. "This sugar is almost as sweet as you, isn't i-" The bay abruptly shook his head, jostling her. Hermione wobbled on the rail. Unbalanced, with one hand tangled in her pocket, she barely had time to realize she had over compensated and was falling backward off the fence when a pair of strong arms caught her from behind, saving her from a spill onto the arena's dirt.
Wide-eyed, she looked up at her savior, Draco Malfoy.
His hair was rumpled and his tie askew, and he had the weary look of someone who had spent the day on his feet. Hermione recognized it because it was a look she had often worn herself since she purchased controlling interest in Flourish and Blotts and began running the store.
Draco probably experienced the same stresses as Hermione since he owned and managed The Printed Page, Hermione's newest and biggest competitor. She squirmed and Draco quickly lowered her to her feet.
"Sorry, Granger." He reached out and stroked the horse's nose. "I think I startled your friend here."
"Right." Hermione straightened her clothes and tightened her ponytail. "Well, no harm done."
"Good." He continued to pet the horse. "Not that this hasn't been fun so far or anything, but would you mind telling me why we're here?"
"Oh!" She had been caught up in watching his pale hand smooth the horse's dark hide. Bending down, she snatched her clipboard up off the ground and flipped through a few pages. "It's about The Halloween Street Faire. As you may know, I'm an event coordinator."
In order to boost sales between the back-to-school rush and the Christmas season, the merchants of Diagon Alley had decided to stage a street fair in one week on Halloween. Festivities would begin with a merchant's parade at sundown, and every shop in the Alley would set up booths with special "Faire Day" sales.
"We originally hoped to start the parade with a reenactment of the Headless Hunt, but," she held up the clipboard, "I'm afraid only you and I indicated 'horseback riding experience' on our questionnaires."
"Ah." He nodded in understanding. "That would be a rather disappointing Hunt, I agree."
"So, I've come up with a new idea: You can be the Headless Horseman."
Draco stepped away from the horse. "The Headless Horseman?"
"It's particularly appropriate for a bookseller, Malfoy," she said in her most encouraging voice. "You see, the Headless Horseman is from a short story called 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' by an American Muggle named Washington Irving."
He held up his hand to cut off her lecture. "I've read it. We're featuring Muggle 'fright stories' this month at the Page, and it's included in one of the anthologies."
"Great!" Hermione tried not to grit her teeth. It irked her to no end that Malfoy of all people had correctly identified an opening in the book market-selling Muggle literature to wizards-and had taken advantage of it before Hermione could. Although Flourish and Blotts had promptly opened a competitive section, The Printed Page had the reputation as the best place to go for a good Muggle read. Irritated, she dropped her clipboard back onto the ground and picked up the jack-o'-lantern she had carved earlier.
Draco rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and pulled on his tie with the other. "Let me get this straight. You want me to gallop headless through Diagon Alley while holding a pumpkin?"
Hermione extended the jack-o'-lantern in answer.
He took it and scowled at its leering face. "Who gets to chop off my head?" he muttered.
"That honor goes to George," Hermione laughed. "He's offered to create a Headless Cloak using the charm for his Headless Hats." She pulled her wand from her sleeve. "I'll cast a Bluebell Flame, like this." She wordlessly cast the charm and they watched the pumpkin flicker harmlessly in his hand. "With the sun down and the horse charmed black, the effect should be very dramatic," she concluded.
Draco sighed and passed the jack-o'-lantern back. He tossed his tie to the ground and slipped through the fence rails. Hermione watched as he grabbed the saddle flung over the fence and began to saddle the horse efficiently.
"If I'm the Headless Horseman," he tightened the cinch, "you must be Katrina, right? And who's Ichabod Crane?" He ducked under the horse's neck and reached for the bridle hanging nearby. "Is it your ex? Please say yes." A wicked smile crossed his face. "I wouldn't mind throwing a pumpkin at his head."
"Ron will be on the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes float, of course," she said, a bit surprised Draco had brought him up at all. "As for me, I wasn't planning to be Katrina. I figured the Horseman would ride alone."
"That's no fun." Draco checked the stirrups and swung up into the saddle. The big bay shifted beneath him, but Draco easily brought him under control using the pressure of his legs and a negligible amount of rein. "You like horses, you should ride."
It did look like fun. A little wistful, Hermione fished another sugar cube from her pocket and passed it to the bay. "I'm afraid I only arranged for one horse."
"So ride with me." Draco pulled alongside the fence and held out his hand, clearly offering her help up. "Maybe you could wear an old-fashioned gown and I could hold you across my lap. You could leave your hair down and pretend to scream or faint over my arm or something. It would look like I'm abducting you." He nodded, please with his own plan. "That's drama. Better than a pumpkin, at any rate."
She was tempted. "That's not part of the story, though."
He snorted. "Please. Like every wizard on the street knows 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'"
After a moment, she made up her mind. "You know what? I'll do it." She extinguished the pumpkin and tossed it aside. Taking his hand, she climbed the fence and awkwardly settled sideways before him in the saddle. His hand was warm and slightly calloused, and his chest was broader than she'd thought it would be.
Draco nudged the horse into a swift walk and Hermione grimaced at the unnaturalness of her position. "I've never ridden sidesaddle before. Or on top of someone." She held tight to his shoulders and tried to let her hips relax and find a natural rhythm with his. The bay broke into a trot and Hermione bounced on Draco's lap. "Oh, no, this is awful! The audience isn't going to like this."
"Maybe not, but I'm enjoying it."
Startled, Hermione looked up to find him grinning down at her. He couldn't be flirting. Not Draco Malfoy, not with her.
The bay cantered, and for a moment, her body and Draco's moved together in a smooth, synchronous motion. In the next instant, they broke apart, and Draco's left arm tightened around her.
"One week to practice," he murmured into her ear. "We'll master this by then, don't worry."
His breath was hot against her skin. A lot could happen in a week, she realized suddenly.
She closed her eyes and tried to let the rhythm take her
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG
The Horsemen
"Yes, you're a handsome devil, aren't you?" Hermione crooned, smoothing the bay's thick forelock over the white star on his forehead.
The horse whickered in agreement and inched closer, rubbing his head against the front of Hermione's shirt and forcing her to shift her weight in order to keep her balance and her perch on the fence rail. His wide nostrils flared as he sniffed her pocket. Large teeth nibbled the cloth hopefully, and Hermione laughed.
"Shameless beggar." She pulled a sugar cube from the front pocket of her sweatshirt and offered it in the flat of her hand. She laughed again, enjoying both the whiskery chops brushing one palm and the velvety soft ear she stroked with the other. Really, it had been too long since she'd been around a horse. A lifetime ago, before Hogwarts, riding her grandparents' pony through the countryside had been one of her favorite ways to spend a summer day. Like so many other things, though, horseback riding had been set aside when she turned eleven and entered a world of floo powder, broomsticks, and Apparition.
"Would you let me ride you?" she asked, eyeing his broad, bare back.
He snorted, far more interested in investigating her pocket again.
"Don't be greedy." She reached into her pocket anyway to indulge him. "This sugar is almost as sweet as you, isn't i-" The bay abruptly shook his head, jostling her. Hermione wobbled on the rail. Unbalanced, with one hand tangled in her pocket, she barely had time to realize she had over compensated and was falling backward off the fence when a pair of strong arms caught her from behind, saving her from a spill onto the arena's dirt.
Wide-eyed, she looked up at her savior, Draco Malfoy.
His hair was rumpled and his tie askew, and he had the weary look of someone who had spent the day on his feet. Hermione recognized it because it was a look she had often worn herself since she purchased controlling interest in Flourish and Blotts and began running the store.
Draco probably experienced the same stresses as Hermione since he owned and managed The Printed Page, Hermione's newest and biggest competitor. She squirmed and Draco quickly lowered her to her feet.
"Sorry, Granger." He reached out and stroked the horse's nose. "I think I startled your friend here."
"Right." Hermione straightened her clothes and tightened her ponytail. "Well, no harm done."
"Good." He continued to pet the horse. "Not that this hasn't been fun so far or anything, but would you mind telling me why we're here?"
"Oh!" She had been caught up in watching his pale hand smooth the horse's dark hide. Bending down, she snatched her clipboard up off the ground and flipped through a few pages. "It's about The Halloween Street Faire. As you may know, I'm an event coordinator."
In order to boost sales between the back-to-school rush and the Christmas season, the merchants of Diagon Alley had decided to stage a street fair in one week on Halloween. Festivities would begin with a merchant's parade at sundown, and every shop in the Alley would set up booths with special "Faire Day" sales.
"We originally hoped to start the parade with a reenactment of the Headless Hunt, but," she held up the clipboard, "I'm afraid only you and I indicated 'horseback riding experience' on our questionnaires."
"Ah." He nodded in understanding. "That would be a rather disappointing Hunt, I agree."
"So, I've come up with a new idea: You can be the Headless Horseman."
Draco stepped away from the horse. "The Headless Horseman?"
"It's particularly appropriate for a bookseller, Malfoy," she said in her most encouraging voice. "You see, the Headless Horseman is from a short story called 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' by an American Muggle named Washington Irving."
He held up his hand to cut off her lecture. "I've read it. We're featuring Muggle 'fright stories' this month at the Page, and it's included in one of the anthologies."
"Great!" Hermione tried not to grit her teeth. It irked her to no end that Malfoy of all people had correctly identified an opening in the book market-selling Muggle literature to wizards-and had taken advantage of it before Hermione could. Although Flourish and Blotts had promptly opened a competitive section, The Printed Page had the reputation as the best place to go for a good Muggle read. Irritated, she dropped her clipboard back onto the ground and picked up the jack-o'-lantern she had carved earlier.
Draco rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and pulled on his tie with the other. "Let me get this straight. You want me to gallop headless through Diagon Alley while holding a pumpkin?"
Hermione extended the jack-o'-lantern in answer.
He took it and scowled at its leering face. "Who gets to chop off my head?" he muttered.
"That honor goes to George," Hermione laughed. "He's offered to create a Headless Cloak using the charm for his Headless Hats." She pulled her wand from her sleeve. "I'll cast a Bluebell Flame, like this." She wordlessly cast the charm and they watched the pumpkin flicker harmlessly in his hand. "With the sun down and the horse charmed black, the effect should be very dramatic," she concluded.
Draco sighed and passed the jack-o'-lantern back. He tossed his tie to the ground and slipped through the fence rails. Hermione watched as he grabbed the saddle flung over the fence and began to saddle the horse efficiently.
"If I'm the Headless Horseman," he tightened the cinch, "you must be Katrina, right? And who's Ichabod Crane?" He ducked under the horse's neck and reached for the bridle hanging nearby. "Is it your ex? Please say yes." A wicked smile crossed his face. "I wouldn't mind throwing a pumpkin at his head."
"Ron will be on the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes float, of course," she said, a bit surprised Draco had brought him up at all. "As for me, I wasn't planning to be Katrina. I figured the Horseman would ride alone."
"That's no fun." Draco checked the stirrups and swung up into the saddle. The big bay shifted beneath him, but Draco easily brought him under control using the pressure of his legs and a negligible amount of rein. "You like horses, you should ride."
It did look like fun. A little wistful, Hermione fished another sugar cube from her pocket and passed it to the bay. "I'm afraid I only arranged for one horse."
"So ride with me." Draco pulled alongside the fence and held out his hand, clearly offering her help up. "Maybe you could wear an old-fashioned gown and I could hold you across my lap. You could leave your hair down and pretend to scream or faint over my arm or something. It would look like I'm abducting you." He nodded, please with his own plan. "That's drama. Better than a pumpkin, at any rate."
She was tempted. "That's not part of the story, though."
He snorted. "Please. Like every wizard on the street knows 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'"
After a moment, she made up her mind. "You know what? I'll do it." She extinguished the pumpkin and tossed it aside. Taking his hand, she climbed the fence and awkwardly settled sideways before him in the saddle. His hand was warm and slightly calloused, and his chest was broader than she'd thought it would be.
Draco nudged the horse into a swift walk and Hermione grimaced at the unnaturalness of her position. "I've never ridden sidesaddle before. Or on top of someone." She held tight to his shoulders and tried to let her hips relax and find a natural rhythm with his. The bay broke into a trot and Hermione bounced on Draco's lap. "Oh, no, this is awful! The audience isn't going to like this."
"Maybe not, but I'm enjoying it."
Startled, Hermione looked up to find him grinning down at her. He couldn't be flirting. Not Draco Malfoy, not with her.
The bay cantered, and for a moment, her body and Draco's moved together in a smooth, synchronous motion. In the next instant, they broke apart, and Draco's left arm tightened around her.
"One week to practice," he murmured into her ear. "We'll master this by then, don't worry."
His breath was hot against her skin. A lot could happen in a week, she realized suddenly.
She closed her eyes and tried to let the rhythm take her