DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (Harry Potter series), George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion), various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, Warner Bros., Inc and the MGM movies. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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My Fair Lady- Draco Malfoy and His Bet
Harry eyed Hermione with dislikes. How dare she even enter his clean and precious house? Now she had mud dripping all over his carpet and she isn't even useful to study because they've already studied her the night before.
However, Hermione was totally unaware of what went on in Harry's mind. "Mister, yesterday you say you would teach me to be a shop keeper. I thought I would take up the offer and here I am. I would pay for my lessons too. How much money would you like for a lesson?" Hermione said all that in her best accent and her most polite tone. Harry nearly died of over consumption of nasty speech.
"Ok, so you would like to pay me. Let's calculate the cost," Harry managed to put on his smoothest face and pretended to smile. "Because you will have to live here to study, don't think I want you to ruin your trained accent among your gutter friends, that's one pound a day for food and accommodation. Then there's the cost for the actual lesson, which we'll make as another pound a day. Then you have to buy clothes...."
Before Harry could finish, Hermione let out a cry, "Two pounds a day and more extra! How am I going to find all that money? I earn one pound a day at most! How am I going to find two pounds and more for you? I'm not even allowed to work after this. You... you meanie!" Hermione broke down into a series of sobs.
Harry turned away. He knew he couldn't stand the tears of a woman, but he was equally determined that he wouldn't teach Hermione, for he didn't think he could stand months of listening to that dreadful accent.
Surprisingly, it was Draco Malfoy who did something very shocking. He walked over to Hermione and patted her on the shoulder. He asked Hermione to sit down on Harry's couch.
"Malfoy!" shouted Harry in surprise. "What happened to you?" That was definitely not the Draco Malfoy he knew of.
Draco Malfoy gave Hermione his handkerchief. "Here, dry your tears with this instead of your sleeves." He then turned around to face Harry. "What do you mean by 'what happened to you'? Nothing, except that I've learnt a few important things while I'm in India. One of them is that everyone has feeling. What happened to you? I thought being friends with Weasel would have made you a goody-two-shoes gentleman. How come your personality is now more similar to mine than his?"
Harry didn't answer. The truth was that he really didn't want to take Hermione in as a student. It wasn't that he couldn't be bothered to make a lady out of this wench because it could have been quite a challenge and he would have done it for free just for fun, but because there was a voice in his head warning him that things won't ever be the same the minuet he took her in. What won't be the same, Harry wasn't sure. However, he had long decided that whatever it was, it would be a bad thing.
Hermione listened to the men talking while wiping tears with Draco's handkerchief.
Draco eyed Harry with interests. "Why aren't you talking now? Why won't you have a heart and take the poor girl in? She doesn't mean any harm apart from the fact that she just want to learn to speak nicely. Isn't it your life long ambition to make everyone on Britain to speak good English? What's the reason?"
Of course Harry couldn't voice out his true reason. It would be too cynical and Malfoy would just laugh at him for listening to voices from his head. "Why should I? She's just a dirty Muggle anyway. I never thought I'd see the day of you sympathizing with Muggles."
Hermione decided that she wouldn't tolerate with this insult anymore. She stood up and began to yell in Harry's ear, "What is 'Muggle'? What ever it is, I am not one and I am definitely not dirty. Why, I wash my face and hands before I come, I did."
No one was listening to Hermione. Harry and Draco were in mist of their 'friendly' fight.
"That's hardly a good enough reason. She won't be a Muggle if you taught her magic as well," said Draco.
"Are you out of your wits?" shouted Harry. "I don't teach magic. I teach phonetics, not magic!"
Hermione was very confused. What was all that magic talk about?
Draco was determined to help Hermione, whom he had grown to like in just a few minuets. He was also interested to witness Harry in action, not as in fighting Voldemort, his previous occupation, but as in teaching a topic he loved. With a blink, the old Draco Malfoy was back. He smirked as he said, "Well, Potter, I guess you are just not up to teaching. You can't teach, can you? I bet you can't."
Harry was red in the face. His typical reaction to the 'Malfoy Tease' was taking over him once more. "I so can teach. I've taught dirty Muggle in gutter into a fluent speaking wizard first month back from fighting Voldemort!"
"Then prove it," Draco smirked. He knew Harry's trapped. He could never back out of it now.
Harry realized what he had been tricked into doing just then. "Oops!" he gasped.
Draco smiled evilly. "Well, there's no back out now, Potter. Now, here's the bet, I bet you couldn't turn this dirty Muggle with nasty speech into a fluent speaking witch by the end of December. To test if you achieved your goal, we would take her to Hogwarts' Christmas Ball for Old Girls and Old Boys with us. If she passed and even fooled Dumbledore respectfully, you win the bet; if not, I win. However, if you refuse to take it up, then you would lose automatically."
Harry winced secretly. He really didn't want to take up the bet, but the Malfoy Tease Effect was too strong. "What's the prize then?
Draco laughed. "If you won, I would pay for all her costs staying here plus any bonus. I would also give you the newest Firebolt VII. If I won, you won't get a cent for her cost nor the bonus. You would also have to give me a enchanted BMW, which you can probably get cheaply from the Weasel's father. Deal?"
Harry gritted his teeth. The prize was overwhelming. If he refused to take up, his lost would be too great. Finally, Harry gritted his teeth and said, "Deal!"
Hermione stood up immediately with fear. She was sort of getting a slightest hint of where this professor and his friend came from. "Magic? Witch and wizard? I am not doing this! Why did I ever come to wizards for help? Dear Lord!"
Hermione turned and headed for the door as she realized that both Harry and Draco were wizards. As a Muggle, Hermione though all wizards and witches were bad people. She grabbed the handle and was about to run off when Harry grabbed her by shoulder. "Ah! Don't touch me! I am a good girl I am! I've been a good girl and not deserve to be harmed by wicked wizards like you. I am a good girl I am! Oh, I am I am!" Hermione screeched.
Harry pulled her back into the lounge. "I thought you wanted to learn how to speak properly. Look, if you'll stay here and be the good girl as you said you had been and learn whatever I am teaching you, you would be given treats. You would get some lovely dresses, which our kind Sir Malfoy is going to provide, and money to ride on pretty cabs. If you have been really, really good, you would also be given as much chocolate you'd like everyday," Harry said as he grabbed a plate of chocolate on his table and dangled it in front of Hermione.
Hermione had never seen so much chocolate in her whole life. Sure, she had had some when she had been lucky on the street, but never so much in one place. She eyed the chocolate longingly and Harry show it to her.
Finally, she couldn't resist anymore. She must have some of that chocolate before she leaves. With a hand outstretched, Hermione tried to grab the plat from Harry's hand.
Harry, who was a lot taller, moved the plat upwards just as Hermione grabbed for it, caused Hermione to fall on his arm. "Ah uh, you are not getting any unless you agree to stay and be a good girl."
Hermione's eyes were only on the chocolate. Quickly, she nodded and agreed. "All right, I'll stay and learn whatever you will teach me."
Draco smiled in the distance. For a moment, he really thought this girl was going to slip through Harry's charm, which was a difficult thing to do because he had seen many girls fell in front of Harry back in Hogwarts.
"Very good," Harry gave Hermione a piece of chocolate, which Hermione gobbled up greedily. "Now, before we start on anything, you need a thorough clean up."
Hermione was still entranced by the taste of chocolate and wasn't paying attention to Harry.
Harry put down the plate and took up a bell. "Lavender!" he yelled. "Lavender! Come here for a little!"
Lavender walked in to the lounge. "Yes, Sir?"
Harry smiled. "I've just taken Miss... um, what your name?"
"Granger, Hermione Granger," Hermione said, still entranced by chocolate.
"Yes, I've taken Miss Granger up as a student here to study speech and magic with me. Now, you should take her up to her room and clean her up. I think all that rubbish on her could be burnt. Get her something new...." Harry was interrupted before he could finish.
"Mr. Potter! You can't take in a girl like picking up sea shells from the beach! That's indecent especially when there's no Mrs. Potter in resident here!"
"Oh, Lavender, I'll do what I see fit. Now go and attend to your job."
Lavender curtsied. "As you wish, Mr. Potter."
With a snap of her fingers, Lavender summoned two maids into the lounge and precede to drag Hermione out of the lounge.
Hermione struggled as she was dragged upstairs. "Where are you taking me? The professor said no one would harm me if I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl I am!"
However, Lavender and the other two maids didn't listen to her and dragged her into a beautiful white lacy room.
Hermione was stunned. "I must be dreaming. This must be the Queen's Palace! Why, I would be afraid to touch anything."
No one answered, Lavender and the two maids walked into a small side room that had steam coming out of it. Hermione also walked there in curiosity. "Is this where you wash your clothes?" She stuck her hand in the steaming tub in the middle. "Awfully hot, I say. Wouldn't that damage your clothes?"
The door behind her closed. Lavender and the other two maids walked in with their wands out. Hermione thought they look murderous. "I'm a good girl I am! Don't harm me! Ah!" she screamed as Lavender began to mutter a series of spells and yellow lights hit her as her clothes began to fall. Another maid levitated her into the boiling hot bath tub. Hermione struggled and splashed water all over the place when the other maid cast the last spell that ensured her to stay in the bath tub.
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Harry nearly bumped into the maid levitating Hermione's dirty clothes into the kitchen. He pulled out his wand and set the clothes on fire immediately. "Now you go and buy Hermione something nice and simple," he ordered the maid.
The maid curtsied and left.
Draco walked by Harry as woman's screamed rang in the house. "You know, Potter, much as I'd love to see you charm other girls' pants off, I cannot allow you to take advantage of Miss Granger here. The reason being simple as I am in this. Evil that I am, I don't believe in you hurting other girls now I have just returned from India."
Harry turned. "Are you the Draco Malfoy that I once know? But don't worry, I won't and the reason is very simple. Well after all, Malfoy, I'm an ordinary man, who desires nothing more than an ordinary chance to live exactly as he likes, and do precisely what he wants. An average man am I, of no eccentric whim, who likes to live his life, free of strife, doing whatever he thinks is best for him. Well... just an ordinary man.... BUT, let a woman in your life and your serenity is through. She'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome, and then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you...." Harry continued and gave Draco a million reasons why he would never let a woman into his life and how sure he was of not taking any advantages of Hermione.
" I shall never let a woman in my life," concluded Harry definitely with a nod.
Draco Malfoy smiled. Well, he thought, things could happen.
Harry sat down and pulled out a quill and some parchments. "With that hard case to crack, I must be fully prepared to win our bet.
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A/N: Thank you for the reviews. They were lovely. Please leave more reviews so I can improve. All criticisms welcome. Some people asked me where are Ron and Ginny? Well, I do assure you that they would come in later as some very big roles. They will be here, so please wait patiently. Once again, thank you for reading this chapter and by all means, do review since you are here already. Thank you.