Chapter Summaries

Draco used Dumbledore's Deluminator to manipulate the slot machines while Diana played, winning a pile of coins and chips as the crowd teased them. When casino staff arrived to inspect the machine, Draco calmly agreed, leaving the floor supervisor unsure of what to make of him.

• Draco had the onlookers exchange the coins for high-value chips and told them to give the chips to Diana.
• Draco joked that hiring a pretty, lucky assistant was the secret to winning, making Diana blush as the crowd teased them.
• Draco's system had analyzed the slot machine's optical sensors, and he secretly used Dumbledore's Deluminator to guide the reels while Diana played.
• Two men in black and a floor supervisor arrived as the machine displayed BAR symbols, prompting Diana to cling nervously to Draco.
• The supervisor asked to inspect the machine, and Draco stepped aside and calmly invited the staff to proceed.

Draco and Diana won another slot machine jackpot after the casino’s inspection found no tampering. The supervisor then ordered them to the office for a supposed fairness check, and Draco escorted the frightened Diana away from the angry crowd.

• The supervisor had technicians open the slot machine, and they confirmed it was normal.
• Draco and Diana played a third machine and won another jackpot, exchanging the coins for chips.
• As Diana prepared to play a fourth machine, the supervisor and two guards ordered them to stop and come to the office.
• Diana protested that they were merely lucky, while the gathered gamblers accused the casino of unfairly targeting them.
• Draco reassured Diana, put an arm around her shoulders, and went with her as the supervisor escorted them toward the offices.

Draco and Diana were investigated by the casino after winning repeatedly, but the manager found no evidence of cheating. He banned them from returning, and Draco proposed giving up their winnings in exchange for playing other games.

• Draco secretly cast a Confundus Charm on the casino manager as he led Draco and Diana to the security office.
• The manager reviewed surveillance footage and searched Draco, Diana, and their belongings but found no suspicious devices or behavior.
• The manager checked the slot machines' backend logs and found no tampering or irregularities.
• The manager let Draco and Diana keep their winnings but banned them from returning to the casino.
• Diana objected to the ban, and Draco offered to forfeit their winnings if they could play other casino games.

After Draco convinced the casino manager to let him continue playing, he took Diana toward roulette and reassured her that she could trust him. As they passed a blackjack table, Diana noticed a figure seated with their back to her.

• The manager allowed Draco to play other games as long as he followed the rules and did not disturb other guests.
• Draco told Diana they would deliberately win and lose some rounds to avoid attracting the casino's attention.
• Draco teased Diana about prying into his secrets, and she denied being overly excited about his wins.
• Diana begged Draco to avoid roulette because it reminded her of David's gambling losses, but he reassured her and she agreed to follow him.
• As Draco and Diana approached the roulette area, Diana caught sight of someone sitting with their back to her at a blackjack table.

Diana found David gambling at a blackjack table after he had borrowed money from Bellatrix and lost it all. When David remained focused on his debts and talked about borrowing more to gamble, Diana gave up on trusting him.

• Diana recognized David at the blackjack table and watched him lose his last chips.
• Diana confronted David, and he admitted that Bellatrix had lent him the money he gambled away.
• Diana scolded David for borrowing money and demanded to know how he would repay the debt.
• David said he would borrow more chips and gamble until he won back his losses, leaving Diana devastated.
• David noticed Draco behind Diana and asked whether he had come to help repay the debt.

Diana confronted David over his gambling and debts in the casino, while Draco watched the public scene unfold. David left with Diana after she threatened to cut ties with him, and Draco departed the casino and removed his disguise.

• Diana told David that his gambling had ruined their finances and that his promises to change meant nothing.
• David slapped himself and begged Diana to forgive him, but she refused to believe his promises and apologized to Draco for the scene.
• David asked Draco to lend him money to repay Bellatrix, humiliating Diana further.
• Diana dragged David toward the exit and threatened to end their relationship if he would not leave; David finally followed her.
• The casino crowd watched and gossiped as the couple left, and Draco lost interest in gambling and removed his disguise in a secluded corner.

After David dragged Diana back to their cruise cabin, he tried to force intimacy despite her repeated refusals. Their cabinmate Mary opened the door and interrupted him, and Diana fled the cabin while David chased after her.

• David brought Diana to their shared cabin and assumed he could use sex to make her overlook his gambling.
• Diana rejected David's advances, but he seized her, dragged her to the bed, and began tearing open her clothes.
• Mary opened the cabin door and found David pinning Diana down.
• Diana covered herself with her coat and rushed out of the cabin.
• David stumbled after Diana, leaving Mary frozen in the doorway.

Diana confronted David about disregarding her wishes and asked to be left alone, leaving their marriage strained. Back in the suite, Draco teased Hermione by snatching her poetry book and refusing to return it, while she struggled to keep him from reading the love poem.

• Diana told David that his attempt to force intimacy and ignore her feelings had humiliated and frightened her.
• David apologized and promised not to gamble or treat Diana that way again, but Diana stayed silent by the railing and asked to be alone.
• Draco returned to the presidential suite and found Hermione absorbed in a book of classical poetry.
• Draco snatched the book and teased Hermione, raising it out of reach and demanding that she read him a line before he would return it.
• Hermione tried to grab the book from the cramped cradle, but her movements made it sway and loosened a button at her neckline.

Hermione and Draco tussled over a book of poetry, and Draco teased her after reading a lovesick line. When Hermione smelled another woman’s perfume on him, she questioned him about where he had been and revealed her jealousy; Draco reassured her that she mattered more to him than anyone at the casino.

• Hermione fell onto Draco while trying to take back the poetry book, and he read aloud a line about longing.
• Draco teased Hermione about her feelings, but she noticed a woman’s perfume on him and demanded to know where he had been.
• Draco said he had visited the casino and showed Hermione casino chips, easing her suspicions.
• Hermione told Draco to keep his distance from other women and get rid of the unfamiliar scent, while denying she was jealous.
• Draco held Hermione close and reassured her that the casino and its visitors were less interesting to him than she was.

Draco teased Hermione about being jealous over an unfamiliar perfume and her love poetry, then showered before they went to eat. The chapter ended with Hermione flustered when Draco came out wearing only a towel, while he laughed and went to get dressed.

• Draco promised to take Hermione with him next time he went out and teased her about being jealous.
• Hermione insisted Draco shower to wash off the unfamiliar perfume before they ate.
• While Draco showered, Hermione picked up the chips and reread the love poem, privately denying that she had been missing him.
• Draco came out of the bathroom in a towel and teased Hermione by pretending he might pull it down.
• Hermione ordered Draco to get dressed, and he took his clothes into the dressing room.

Draco carried a flustered Hermione through the corridor to the restaurant, teasing her until she asked him to put her down. They sat down to an elegant dinner, where Hermione criticized the tiny portions and Draco explained that aristocrats prized ceremony over filling their stomachs.

• Draco hugged Hermione and teased her about liking his scent before sweeping her into his arms.
• Draco carried Hermione toward the restaurant, and she pleaded with him to put her down before anyone saw them.
• Draco set Hermione down at the restaurant entrance, and she took his arm as they went inside.
• Hermione examined the tiny portions on their plates and remarked that style would not fill her stomach.
• Draco explained that wealthy people valued atmosphere and ceremony, while Hermione picked up her fork and speared a slice of fish.

Hermione and Draco teased each other over dinner, then awkwardly fed each other dessert in the restaurant. Draco moved beside Hermione and threatened to kiss her if she refused another bite, leaving her to decide what to do.

• Hermione ate her steak while Draco flirted with her and wiped sauce from the corner of her mouth.
• Hermione stuffed a bread roll into Draco's mouth to stop his teasing, and they finished dinner.
• Draco asked Hermione to feed him mousse, then caught the spoon between his teeth before letting her go.
• Draco took the spoon and fed Hermione a bite of dessert, then moved to sit beside her.
• Draco offered Hermione another bite and threatened to kiss her if she would not eat.

Draco teased Hermione with kisses and magic during their outing, then took her to watch the sunset. After he stopped their kiss to provoke her, Hermione kissed him in a flustered counterattack, and they ended the evening in each other’s arms.

• Draco fed Hermione raspberry mousse and kissed the corner of her mouth, leaving her embarrassed and eager to leave the restaurant.
• Draco used magic to pull Hermione into his arms outside, then Apparated with her to the bow by the presidential suite.
• Draco embraced Hermione as they watched the sunset, then kissed her deeply until she began to kiss him back.
• Draco pulled away to tease Hermione, and she grabbed his collar and kissed him in a defiant counterattack.
• Hermione asked Draco not to laugh at her, and he praised her bravery.

Diana watched Draco and Hermione share a loving moment and bitterly reflected on her unhappy marriage to David. Draco then suggested that he and Hermione visit the ship’s library, where he produced a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber for her.

• Diana saw Draco and Hermione embrace and kiss, and she envied their affection while thinking about her troubled marriage to David.
• Diana turned away from the couple and wiped away her tears as she watched the sunset over the sea.
• Draco invited Hermione to visit the ship’s library, and she happily agreed to spend time there with him.
• Hermione chose Jane Eyre and a collection of European folk tales before settling into an armchair by the library windows.
• Draco returned with books he had redeemed from the system and gave Hermione a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Hermione asked where Draco had found the Chinese book, and Draco told her to guess.

Draco gave Hermione a Chinese copy of Dream of the Red Chamber and explained the title’s meaning, prompting Hermione to reflect on freedom and the future she might share with him. When Draco teased her about marrying into Malfoy Manor, Hermione said she wanted a home with him, not a cage, and insisted she would escape if she were ever trapped.

• Draco presented Hermione with Dream of the Red Chamber and explained how its title symbolized the secluded lives and constrained freedom of noble women.
• Hermione interpreted the red chamber as both a wealthy women’s private world and a cage that denied them control over their futures.
• Draco asked whether marrying into Malfoy Manor would mean moving into a red chamber, and Hermione said Malfoy Manor was not a cage because Draco’s family respected her choices.
• Hermione said she wanted a home with Draco and would escape if Malfoy Manor ever became a prison.
• Draco teased Hermione with his Five Fingers Mountain gesture, cupped the back of her neck, and suggested she read another Chinese classic to understand the reference.

Hermione and Draco teased each other about how they expressed affection before Hermione became suspicious of a book Draco was hiding. She challenged him to reveal it, suspecting it was not respectable.

• Draco teased Hermione about their past encounter in the Room of Requirement, and Hermione told him to stop bringing it up in public.
• Hermione agreed to finish Dream of the Red Chamber in exchange for Draco giving her the promised Five Fingers Mountain book.
• Hermione noticed Draco hiding a book and asked to see it, but he insisted it was ordinary and special.
• Hermione accused Draco of underestimating her tastes and challenged him to admit whether the book was indecent.

Draco tricked Hermione into asking to see a book whose title seemed to describe their relationship, then teased her about pursuing him. When Draco pretended to leave, Hermione stopped him and admitted she did not mind him staying close, and he settled back beside her with a smile.

• Draco revealed a book titled How a Muggle Girl Can Make a Domineering, Scheming but Gentle Young Master Fall in Love with Me after Hermione repeatedly insisted on seeing it.
• Hermione realized Draco had baited her into the reveal and accused him of deliberately teasing her.
• Draco argued that Hermione had brought the embarrassment on herself by pressing him to show the book, then joked about her following its advice to win him over.
• Draco asked whether Hermione liked him sticking close to her, and she denied it without conviction.
• Draco pretended to leave, but Hermione caught his sleeve and told him he could stay; he sat back down, smiling.

Draco crowded into Hermione’s armchair and held her while she tried to read, teasing her with a Muggle romance book until she gave up. He then stopped teasing and rested his chin on her shoulder, leaving Hermione tense and waiting for what he would do next.

• Draco squeezed into Hermione’s armchair and insisted they read together, drawing her into his arms despite her protests.
• Hermione tried to read Dream of the Red Chamber while Draco read aloud from a romance book and teased her about its lines.
• Hermione lost her composure when she turned toward Draco and their faces nearly touched, then shut her book and declared she could not read.
• Draco tossed aside the romance book, said he would stop teasing her, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
• Hermione remained tense, expecting another trick, but Draco did not act for several seconds.

Hermione read Dream of the Red Chamber while Draco quietly leaned against her, then fell asleep on her shoulder and drooled on her clothes. When he woke, he shamelessly blamed her for making him comfortable and demanded a kiss as compensation, leaving Hermione flustered as he settled back against her.

• Hermione resumed reading while Draco rested quietly against her, and she gradually enjoyed his silent company.
• Draco fell asleep on Hermione's shoulder, and she stayed still so she would not wake him.
• Hermione noticed Draco had drooled on her shoulder and struggled to hold back her laughter.
• Draco woke and blamed Hermione for making him comfortable, suggesting he kiss her to make up for the damp patch.
• Hermione pushed Draco away, but he caught her hands and then leaned back against her, insisting she take responsibility for lulling him to sleep.

Draco teased Hermione with kisses before leaving the library for a walk, and Hermione secretly began reading the romance novel he had left behind. The chapter ended when approaching footsteps startled her into hiding it behind the sofa.

• Draco kissed Hermione's cheek and jokingly offered his own version of compensation for dirtying her clothes.
• Draco checked whether Hermione's shoulder hurt and decided to take a walk; Hermione warned him to avoid disreputable places and return without smelling of perfume.
• Draco called Hermione “wifey,” kissed her forehead, and left the library.
• Hermione became curious about the romance novel and began reading it, pretending it was academic research while comparing its heroes to Draco.
• Footsteps approached, so Hermione hid the novel behind the sofa and picked up Dream of the Red Chamber.