A/N: Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Harry Potter or any recognizable characters or the bits of plot I used from the original series.
Warnings: This story is rated 'M' for a reason. If you are offended by crude humor or 'adult' language, then please don't read. As usual, this story is a work in progress and I hope you enjoy. Please post a review after you read it, even if just to say you like it/hate it!
Chapter 1: The Law
Harry yawned and stretched as he woke up. He looked over at the other bed to see that Ron was awake, but in deep thought. Harry stood up and got dressed. "You okay, Ron?" Harry asked. Ron turned and looked at Harry, but didn't answer. "I'm going to get some breakfast, are you coming?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head, almost imperceptivity, and Harry shrugged and walked out. Something was bothering Ron.
Harry walked into the kitchen, glad to see Hermione there cooking breakfast. "Good morning, Harry." She said. Harry repeated the sentiment and sat down with a cup of coffee.
"Something's bothering Ron." He said. Hermione didn't turn from the pan of bacon.
"What do you mean something's bothering him?" Hermione asked.
"I woke up and he was just lying there. I asked him if he was okay and he didn't answer. I asked him if he was coming down for breakfast, and he shook his head no." Harry said. Hermione looked a bit worried as she placed a plate in front of Harry.
"He didn't eat anything last night at dinner. I think I'll take him a plate up to him." She said. Harry nodded to show that he heard what her plan was before taking another bite. Hermione still liked Ron. She knew they weren't compatible, and wouldn't think of trying to date him again, but her feelings for him haven't disappeared yet.
Harry just finished his breakfast when five owls came through the window of the Burrow. Four of them dropped letters and left but the last one landed. Harry raised his hand to stroke Hedwig and gave her a bite of bacon before looking at the other four letters. One was labeled with each of their names on it. Harry took the letter with his name on it and turned it over. He noticed the ministry seal and groaned. That could not be good. He took out the letter and quickly read it.
Dear Mr. Potter
You may or may not have heard that the Ministry of Magic has passed a law that will affect you. The law is called a Marriage Law. Due to the loss of numbers during the war, the Wizarding World of Britian is risking extinction. To prevent such a catastrophe, the Ministry is requiring all young wizards from the age of 17 to the age of 23 to marry a witch of our choosing. We will choose based on your compatibility with the other using a magical object. We do not choose at random. You will be receiving a letter tomorrow morning with an appointment time of when to meet the Ministry officials to create your union. You will be explained rules at that time.
A word of warning: Those who refuse to comply will be sent to Azkaban. We considered stripping them of magic, but that will only decrease our population farther. You will be sent to Azkaban for no less than two years, at which time you are expected to comply with the law. We strongly urge you to follow the law.
Mr. Potter, you will marry Ginevra Weasley. We wish you a long and happy life together.
Sincerely Yours,
Malfalda Hopkirk
Harry stared in shock. He loved Ginny, but he wasn't ready to get married. He didn't even notice when said witch entered the room. She gave Harry a peck on the cheek and asked him what was wrong. Harry picked up her letter and shoved it at her. She opened it and read it. Ginny simply stared at it for a few minutes before registering that she and Harry had to get married and it sounded like it was going to happen tomorrow. She dropped her letter and ran into Harry's arms. "We may not be ready to get married, but at least we got each other. I love you, Harry, and you are going to be my husband. Do Hermione and Ron know?"
"Not yet. Hermione cooked breakfast and went to see what was wrong with Ron, then the owls came. Oh yeah, one from your parents." Harry motioned to Hedwig and smiled. She took the letter from the bird and opened it. She read aloud:
Dearest children,
We are having a wonderful time in Romania. Charlie is doing so well. I hope sincerely that you lot are okay. We are sending this letter to tell you we are cutting our trip short. Kingsley came and told us about a new law that will affect you and we don't want you to have to go through that alone. We will be returning on Tuesday. We miss you all dreadfully and wish you the best.
Love,
Mum and Dad
Ginny let out a breath of relief. She moved to run up stairs to tell Ron and Hermione what was going on when they came down the stairs. Ginny instead handed them the letters with their names on them. Harry and Ginny waited patiently while they processed the news. Ron had a look of disgust on his face as he read the letter from their mother. He too let out a sigh of relief and sat down with his head in his hands. He looked at Harry and Ginny and knew. "You got each other, didn't you?" He asked Ginny beamed and Ron groaned.
"Who'd you get?" Harry asked. Ron shoved the letter at Harry without looking up. Harry looked at the bottom with the name of the future Mrs. Ronald Weasley and his jaw dropped. Ron was expected to marry Pansy Parkinson. "Ron, I'm—" Harry's voice trailed off. He handed Ginny the letter who handed him Hermione's. Harry had to read it four times before it registered the name at the bottom. "Malfoy? They can't be serious!" Harry yelled. Ron looked from Harry to Hermione as if deciding if they were joking.
"Are they trying to kill us?" Ron asked.
"You must have gotten Slytherins." A voice from the doorway said. George walked farther in and waited to hear the news.
"Hermione is to marry Draco Malfoy and Ron is to marry Pansy Parkinson." Ginny said.
"And who, dear sis, did you get?" He asked. Ginny looked at Harry with pure bliss. "Nevermind. Kingsley is coming." He said, as he looked out the window. George opened the door to allow the minister entrance into the house.
"Hello all. I'm glad you're here, George, I was going to stop by the shop and see you next." Kinglsey started.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" Hermione asked. Harry was startled to see the hatred in her eyes. Kingsley only hung his head.
"I tried to stop it. I told them most of the wizards your age would get married and have children without the ministry interfering. They wouldn't listen. Our numbers really are bad. Believe me, Hermione, I considered resigning, but I thought it'd be better if I was in office, I can try to stop much worse from happening."
"The letter said we'd receive another letter tomorrow with the time to meet a Ministry official to 'create your union'. Will we have to get married tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
"Your appointment will not necessarily be tomorrow, and we will explain the law to you in its entirety. We will also give you a potion that will allow you to see your relationship with the other person objectively. That part is optional, but recommended. If you do it, you might find it's easier to live with the other person, which you'll have to do for the rest of your life. Then we'll set a date for you to get married. I recommend only getting it official, then after you get along with the other person, doing an actual wedding. I truly am sorry about this. If you don't mind me asking, who'd you get paired with?"
"You don't know?" George asked.
"No, I chose to stay out of that part. I couldn't change the outcome, so I didn't want to be a part of the process." Kingsley said.
"Harry and Ginny got each other. Ron got Pansy Parkinson, and Hermione got Draco Malfoy." George filled in.
"You're affected by this too. Who did you get?" Ron asked.
"Katie Bell." George answered. He had a slight blush on his face. Ron sniggered and Hermione and Ginny giggled. It was known that George liked Katie Bell, but Katie saw him as a friend. She wouldn't date him in case it ruined their friendship. Kingsley smiled at George.
"I must be going. I have a lot to do today. Please let me know if you need anything."
"Mum and Dad are coming home today. I think we'll be okay." Ginny said.
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I must be off. I'll see you all shortly." Kingsley said. He disapparated leaving the five to themselves.
"I didn't know Dad and Mum were coming home today. Did they cut their trip short because of this?"
"Yes, Kingsley told them about it. He didn't want them to be out of the country and leave us to deal with this on our own." Ginny said. She sat down in Harry's lap while George ate her breakfast.
"I'm glad for you and Harry, Ginny." Hermione said. She looked miserable. Ginny got up and gave her friend a hug.
"I want to go for a walk. Harry, will you come with me?" Ron asked. Harry and Ron walked out the door. "I am glad Ginny and George got someone good. I just wish I could have gotten someone good too." Ron said, miserably.
"Maybe she isn't all that bad." Harry said.
"Harry, she tried to turn you in to Voldemort in June, are you really going to try to convince me that she isn't bad. At least she isn't worse than Malfoy. Poor Hermione." Ron said. Harry sympathized. Neither one could believe that Hermione was stuck with someone as vile as Malfoy. "If he tries to hurt her, Harry, in any way, I'll kill him!" Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement.
XXX
"Maybe he's changed, Hermione." Ginny said.
"Hermione, if he ever hurts you, you bet your arse, that Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I will kill him!" George said. We're here for you, love, you know that." George pulled Hermione in his lap and held her tight. "I love you, Hermione." He whispered only loud enough for Hermione to hear. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smiled and stood up.
"I will not sit around and feel sorry for myself just because Malfoy is going to be my husband. We won't get along, but I haven't failed anything I've ever tried yet, and I'll be dammed if I'll fail this." Hermione said.
"Hear, Hear!" Ron said. He and Harry rushed up to give Hermione a hug. "We love you, Hermione. Never forget that, especially when you're a Malfoy." Hermione smiled and began cleaning up the kitchen.
"Ron, will you straighten up the den? Harry, you fold clothes, and Ginny, will you help him. I want you to fold the laundry, not mess around." Hermione said. When the three left Hermione resumed her cleaning. George rose to help her.
"I guess it's a good thing we never told anybody about us, isn't it?" George asked. Hermione turned to him.
"I knew there was a reason." Hermione said. She smiled as George wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. She said, "I just wish they could have paired me with you, Ron, or Percy. Anybody's better than Malfoy. I'm glad you got Katie. At least you'll be happy."
Hermione sighed. "I'm not sure you and I could have made it in a marriage anyways. It's probably better this way."
"Yes, but we had fun, didn't we? I got your mind off of your parents, didn't I?" George asked.
XXXFLASHBACKXXX
Hermione was sitting at the table crying. She was the only one up so she had privacy. She was devastated. She just received a letter from the Ministry saying that her parents were killed. She couldn't stop crying. Just then, she felt arms wrap around her and hold her. She needed that. She turned to see who it was, and was a bit surprised. George Weasley was being sensitive. Hermione sat there and cried while he held her. Once the tears stopped, she looked up and kissed him. Her jaw dropped as she backed away and stuttered an apology.
Her apology was cut off by George kissing her again. "I had planned to ask you out on a date this morning. I got down here and saw you crying. What happened?" He asked. Hermione handed him the letter. "I'm so sorry for you, Hermione!" George said. Her grief reminded him of Fred. He started crying too. Hermione held him until his tears were dried. George apparated to the shop and kissed her. He led her upstairs so they could have privacy.
Once there, they talked. They talked about the people they lost and why they meant so much to them. Then they kissed. Hermione ended up falling asleep in George's arms. They woke up two hours later and went back to the Burrow.
XXXFLASHBACKXXX
"Yes, you got my mind off my parents. You were there when I needed you." Hermione said.
"I needed you, too, Hermione. I'm glad we're friends." George said. Hermione nodded and hugged him again. She didn't regret her time with George at all.
XXX
The group met in the kitchen again when they were done. They sat down as the door opened. Arthur and Molly Weasley walked through the door and dropped their bags. The hugged their children, then Harry and Hermione and sat down too. "I'm glad you're back, Mum." Ginny said. "I have to tell you, Harry and I decided that we're going to get married!" Ginny said. Arthur laughed as Molly looked relieved.
"I'm glad you got Harry, dear." She said. "Who did the rest of you get?"
"I got Katie Bell, Mum." George said. He looked at the other two and decided he would tell who they got. "Ron got Pansy Parkinson and Hermione got Draco Malfoy." George continued. Molly and Arthur gasped. They went and hugged Hermione and Ron. "How was Romania, Dad?" Hermione grabbed George's hand under the table and squeezed it in appreciation. She didn't want the attention. The rest of the day passed in this manner.
XXX
Everyone was up early the next morning. They were all nervous about going to the Ministry and wanted to find out when that would be. Soon enough the owls arrived with their letters. Hermione was trembling as she opened hers.
Dear Ms. Granger,
You are scheduled to appear before the Ministry at 10:00 this morning. Please dress accordingly and be prepared for anything. We look forward to seeing you and your fiancé meet."
Sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Hermione looked at the clock and yelped. She ran upstairs to get dressed. She wasn't sure what they meant by dress accordingly, but was spared having to think when Ginny and Mrs. Weasley entered.
"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to wear robes." Mrs. Weasley said. Ginny was busy getting Hermione's clothes and casting an anti-wrinkle charm on them. Now, they wouldn't wrinkle all day. Hermione quickly stripped off her clothes and put on the ones Ginny picked out for her. Then she put on the robe that Mrs. Weasley picked out for her. She put her shoes on while Ginny fixed her hair.
"You want to look your best in case you get married today. Harry and I are, if we're given the choice. We'll do a ceremony later on, after we're out of Hogwarts." Ginny whispered to her. Hermione was grateful for her friend. She hugged them all briefly before apparating to the Ministry.
Hermione took a deep breath. She had no idea where she was supposed to go. She looked around until her eyes met his. She felt herself freeze. She couldn't do this. She couldn't marry Draco Malfoy. But she had no choice. She felt herself panic as he walked up to her. She steeled herself for his usual 'mudblood' comment, as she hoped he wouldn't utter it. He didn't. "Hello, Granger. Do you have any idea where we're supposed to go from here?" He asked.
"No, I don't. I guess we can…" Hermione cut off as she saw Kingsley.
"Good morning Hermione. I'm glad you're first." Kingsley said. "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. If you two will please follow me." Kingsley led them down a narrow hallway through a door into a room with four chairs and a table. Kingsley motioned for Hermione and Draco to each take a seat and sat down himself. "As you know there are certain aspects to this marriage law that you have to fulfill." Kingsley started. He didn't mince words. "The first is marriage. If it is your choice, you can get married today. If you choose not to, then you have to set your wedding date in the next 3 months. The point of this law is to increase our population. You must have children. You must become pregnant within the first 2 years of your marriage. Hogwarts has a class added for the students affected by this law. Before you decide whether or not you wish to be married today, we ask you to take a potion. This potion will help you see your past interactions with your intended in a new light. You will see it unaffected by the emotions with which you experienced it the first time. You do not have to, but we do ask you to. I feel, especially in your case, that it could do nothing but help."
"I'll take it." Hermione said. Kingsley smiled at her and looked to Draco.
"Yes, I'll take it too." He said. Kingsley nodded in appreciation. The door opened and in walked a healer from St. Mungos with two vials of the potion.
"Make sure you take it all." She said. The two looked at each other and drank the potion. Hermione was overwhelmed. She saw herself in first year, second, and so on. She watched as if she was watching a movie. Looking at it this way, Draco wasn't evil, he was sad. He was provoked a lot of times, but others, he did the provoking. Draco had led a sad life, and Hermione could see only too clearly.
As soon as she was finished she opened her eyes. She saw Draco Malfoy looking at her. He wasn't a bad man. Hermione stayed silent as Draco finished processing what he saw. "Gran—Hermione, I'm so sorry! You didn't deserve any of that. It wasn't your fault…"Draco trailed off.
"I'm sorry too. You didn't deserve anything that Harry, Ron, or I ever did." Hermione said. They sat there in awkward silence until Kingsley spoke.
"Will you be getting married today, or will you wait?" He asked. Draco looked at Hermione. He would do what she wanted.
"Are we expected to live together now and consummate the marriage tonight if we do?"
"The bonding will not be complete until you do consummate the marriage. That being the case, if you choose not to consummate it today, you will have to within the next 3 months. As for living together, that is up to you."
"I know we don't get along, but I'm willing to try. I think its better that we go ahead and do this today. I don't care about doing a real ceremony later on, but we can if you do. We can consummate, or wait, it's up to you. You can either move into the manor or live where you're living now. It's up to you. I owe so much to you, I can't ever repay. I don't want to be married to you, but I don't have a choice. I'd rather make the best of a bad situation than act like a second year."
"I think it's best if we do it today. I want to go ahead and get the consummation over with. If we're doing this today, I'd rather finish it today. We can go to the manor to do it, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to live there yet." Hermione said.
"Minister Shacklebolt, we will be wed today." Malfoy said. Hermione stifled a gasp. She really didn't want to do this, and if she waited any longer, she would probably back out and not do it at all.
"Very good. Please stand." Kingsley said. He walked around the table and asked them to hold hands. Hermione was surprised at how soft Draco's hands were. "I'll skip all the flowery words and say the basic spell to bind you two together. Draco Malfoy, do you take Hermione Granger to be your wife for ever and always?"
"I do."
"Do you vow to take care of her in the best way possible?"
"I do."
"Do you vow to cherish her?"
"I do." Draco said.
"Hermione Granger, do you take Draco Malfoy to be your husband for ever and always?"
"I do." Hermione answered, a bit hesitantly.
"Do you vow to take care of him in the best way possible?"
"I do."
"Do you vow to cherish him?"
"I do."
"I pronounce you husband and wife. To seal the bond, Draco, you must kiss your bride." Draco closed the space between them and kissed Hermione. His lips were softer than she would have expected. He pulled away as quickly as he started and they stared at each other awkwardly. "You are now Draco and Hermione Malfoy. I trust you to finish your bond within the time limit. Good day." Hermione followed Draco out the door and back into the Atrium. They stood a little distance away as they tried to process what just happened. Did they really just get married? Hermione looked at her new husband with a bit of apprehension. They would talk about past experience. It was only fair. She would have to explain how exactly she wasn't a virgin. That was something that was only between her and George.
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" He asked, looking at her concerned.
"Yes. I'm still not sure If I want to live with you yet, but I do believe we should go ahead and finish sealing the bond." Hermione said. Draco nodded and offered her his hand. She took it and apparated them to Malfoy Manor. Hermione's memories came flooding back. She wasn't prepared for the flooding of emotion that engulfed her. The next thing she knew, she passed out.
XXX
Hermione tried to make sense of everything that happened before she opened her eyes. She successfully convinced herself that everything that happened was a dream. She opened her eyes expecting to see Ginny's room, but instead she saw a room that she had never seen before. She was totally alone, which she was strangely grateful for. She didn't know where she was or anything else, so she could take in her surroundings without onlookers.
The walls of the room were a dark blue. The bedding was a lighter blue with the carpet as white. Hermione saw a door on each wall. She assumed one of them went to a hallway, and that assumption was confirmed when the door opened. She turned her attention to the right wall and saw Draco Malfoy walk in. "I'm glad you're awake. Do you feel any better?" He asked while giving her a glass of water.
"Yes, a bit. I am very confused, though. What happened?"
"You saw the Manor and fainted. You've been out for a day and a half. I took the liberty of telling the Weasley' what happened. Naturally they didn't just believe me, so they have been taking turns sitting at your bed. I was just seeing Ginny Weasley out the door. I'm sorry you had to wake up alone. That was not my intention." Draco said. Hermione shook her head and sat up.
"Thank you for taking care of me." She said, a bit shyly.
"Of course, that's my job as your husband. I take my job very seriously. I was thinking we could go out and do some shopping and have a light meal before coming back here and consummating the marriage, if you still want to do that." He said. Hermione nodded her head and asked for some privacy to get ready. "A full wardrobe is in that room and a bathroom is in that room. Please, take your time getting ready." Draco said. Hermione nodded her head and waited for him to exit before standing up.
Hermione took an hour to get ready to go and that's only because she had to find something to wear. When Draco said a full wardrobe, he meant a full wardrobe. There were more clothes in that closet than she could wear in a month. She wasn't sure what she needed with this many clothes, but Hermione figured there must be a reason. She found a comfortable looking pair of jeans and a strapless shirt that she put under a light short sleeved black jacket. She wasn't sure Draco would approve of her attire, but she wasn't changing. She liked what she picked out to wear. She found a pair of black pumps that matched her jacket and felt great when she was wearing it. Hermione fixed her hair with the wave of her wand and walked out of the room. She stood by her door. She didn't know her way around the place and was afraid to walk around, in case she got lost.
Luckily, she was spared having to find her way around when Draco walked out of a room right across the hall. "Good, you're ready to go. You look great." He said. She had the sneaking suspicion that he actually meant it. "Our first stop will be Gringotts. I need to add you to my account."
"Oh, you don't…" She started to say. Draco cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"I do have to. It's tradition. You are my wife. You are supposed to have access to our accounts." He said. Hermione blushed a little. Hearing him put it that way, made her think he had accepted his fate to be married to her. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. She took his offered hand and felt the familiar pull of apparition and opened her eyes, and saw Gringotts in front of her. They walked into the bank and up to one of the tellers. "I need to add my wife to my accounts." Draco said. The goblin looked up and nodded. He waved them past the counter to a room in the back.
"So, you want to add your wife to your account." A goblin called Frost said. Draco nodded his head, so the goblin continued. "I am in charge of the Malfoy accounts. My name is Frost. Do you have the paperwork from the ministry confirming your union?" Draco handed the papers over to the goblin. "Good, all is in order. You plan on finishing the seal of this bond soon?" Draco nodded tightly. "Good. Mrs. Hermione Malfoy, do you have a Gringotts account card?" Hermione looked to Draco. He reached under the table and squeezed her hand gently.
"No, she doesn't." Draco answered for her. Frost raised an eyebrow and pulled a card out. "I'll do it." Draco said. Hermione once again looked to Draco in a bit of confusion and he elaborated. "To link the account to you, your blood is required. I'm going to prick your finger, slightly; just enough for a drop of blood to leak out. The cards are only offered to wizards who have large and multiple vaults. Wizards don't advertise they have them, but if someone sees it, word can spread and someone can steal your card. The card is already linked to the account, this only insures that you and I are the only ones who can use the cards." Draco explained. Hermione nodded and offered her hand. Draco took it and pulled out a pin. He slightly pricked her finger and placed it on the card. The card accepted the blood and her name appeared on the top of the account information with Draco's. Hermione stopped the bleeding in her hand and took her card. She tucked it into her pocket and waited on Draco to conclude their business. "How much is in the main account?" He asked.
"You have 120 million galleons in the main account. Each of your side accounts each have 50 million galleons. Would you like to set up a trust account for your wife?"
"No, I want her to have full access to all the accounts. She and I are the only ones allowed to access this account. Understand?" Draco said. Frost nodded his head. "Good, I believe our business for today has been concluded." Draco stated. Frost stood up and showed them out of the room. Draco walked out with dignity, and Hermione followed. They stopped right outside the bank. "Where would you like to go first?" He asked.
"What the hell was that?" She asked. Draco looked at her in confusion. "You have that much gold at your disposal, and you trust me not to waste it all? You didn't want to set up a trust for me to have access to, no you wanted me to have full access to all your vaults. You don't even like me!" Hermione said.
"I don't have a problem with you. I trust you. You are not the type of girl who goes and spends money like crazy, that's Pansy's type. If I was married to Pansy, she would have gotten a trust. I trust you to spend wisely. And by spend wisely, I mean not throw around a few million galleons a day. It won't last long that way. Now, where do you want to go first?" He asked. Hermione shrugged her shoulders and told him to lead the way. "Are you satisfied with your wardrobe, or would you like to get more clothes?" He asked.
"I didn't have time to look through everything, so I'm not sure."
"Did you look through the jewelry?"
"There's jewelry?" She asked. Draco nodded with a slight smile on his face.
"How about shoes?"
"I have plenty of shoes." She said. "Actually, if it's okay with you, could we go to Florish and Blotts?" Hermione asked. Draco smiled. He should have known.
"Leave it to a bookworm to choose to go to a bookshop." He mumbled. The smack he got told him she heard him. "Ow, sorry. You realize we have a library at the Manor, don't you?" Hermione looked at him.
"If it's okay with you, I'd like to have my own books. I'd like to have my own study and library. If it's not, that's fine, but that's what I really want." Hermione said.
Draco smiled. "Of course. When we get around to redoing the master suite, one of your rooms can be a study with a library. You will have to have a sitting room, for when you are entertaining guests that are yours only, but you have 4 rooms besides our shared bed chamber and bathroom. You also have your own bathroom and closet. After that, you have 4 rooms. Usually one of them is a bed chamber for your own. Malfoy wives who have an affair do it in that room and if we are ever in a disagreement after we share chambers, you will sleep there, but you don't have to do that, that is only a suggestion." Draco said. Hermione stopped and looked at him.
"Are you saying I have 4 rooms for my use that is for me only and I can do whatever I want with them?" Hermione asked. Draco smiled and nodded. Hermione's mind went starting running at what to do with it. Draco said it was traditional that she have her own sitting room and her own bedroom. She planned to make one of them a study and a library. Maybe she would do the last room as an extension to her library. Hermione was visibly excited and couldn't wait to get whatever book she wanted without worrying about cost. They walked in and Hermione squealed in delight.
"May I help you?" The shopowner asked.
"Yes, this is Lady Malfoy. You are to get her whatever she desires." He turned to Hermione, "I'll be back in a bit." He said and kissed her on the cheek. He gave the store owner a glare before striding out. Draco had planned to get Hermione a necklace. He wanted it to be the most beautiful she had ever seen. It was to be a wedding gift to his wife. He knew Hermione would be busy for a while and took his time when he entered the jewelry store.
"May I help you, Lord Malfoy?" The owner said. It was obvious his father shopped in this store often.
"I am looking for a necklace." He said.
"Ah, so young Lord Malfoy has found someone worthy of him, has he?"
"I have found a wife with the help of the ministry." Draco said, politely.
"Ah yes, that damned law. Well, what kind of necklace do you have in mind?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll know when I see it. If you can pull all the necklaces out." Draco waited while the jeweler waved his wand and pulled all the necklaces out. Draco looked over them all. He saw several that he knew his mother would like, but he knew Hermione's style wasn't like his mothers. Draco kept looking until he found the one that he could see Hermione wearing. It was a white gold necklace with diamonds and emeralds. He could picture it against her skin and thought it would look beautiful, plus it wasn't very big, but it was big enough that she would know that he thought she was worth it. He paid the 3,000 galleons for the necklace and walked the short distance to the bookstore. Hermione was still going through the store. Draco looked at his watch and saw that it was noon. He didn't want to tear her away, but he promised the Weasleys they would come to lunch today. "Hermione, are you about done?" He asked. She looked at him and smiled.
"Almost. I have one more section to look through and I'll be done. I'm skipping the children's books because we don't have children and hopefully won't for at least another year. I know we have to within 2 years, but I would like to finish Hogwarts first, you know?" Hermione said.
"We need to be going soon. I promised the Weasleys that we'd be over for lunch at one." He said. Hermione looked at her watch and gasped.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was that late. Let's go, I'll finish up another day. We still have to go home and freshen up." Hermione said. Draco looked surprised. He didn't think she'd feel the need to. "I'm finished for now." Hermione said to the harried store owner. Apparently she kept him running the entire time. He quickly priced all her items and told her the daunting total. Hermione looked sheepish and was about to tell him to put them back when Draco stopped her by pulling out his card. "No, it's fine." Hermione protested.
"This is why you are granted full access to my accounts. I spent more than that and got far less, yet you think that's way too much for you to spend. That amount for everything you got is quite a modest amount." Draco said, while pulling out 50 galleons as a tip. He had a feeling this was Hermione's favorite store and didn't want the store owner to dread her visits. Draco grabbed all the bags, Hermione grabbed onto him and they apparated back to the Manor. "Do you want to keep your things here, or would you rather take them to the Burrow?" Draco asked.
"I think I should keep them here. I have my own room, I might stay here." Hermione said. Draco nodded and called for Tipsy.
Tipsy, I would like you to meet the new Lady Malfoy. Hermione, Tipsy is going to be your personal elf. I know how you feel about house elves, but believe me, I treat them well. My father was the one who treated them badly." Draco said. "Give Tipsy a command."
"Tipsy, take these bags to my room please." Draco handed over the bags and Tipsy disappeared with them. Hermione started to walk to her room when Draco stopped her.
"I wanted to get you a wedding gift. It is tradition for the groom to get his bride a piece of jewelry as a wedding gift." Hermione began to protest but Draco put up his hand. "The bride is not supposed to give the groom anything, which is why your friends didn't tell you. For the Malfoys, it is tradition for that jewelry to be a necklace. Normally, I'd have let you pick it out yourself, but I wanted to surprise you and I thought you might try to get out of getting it if I did." Draco handed her the box and studied her face as she opened it. Her face registered surprise, then she was pleased. "Do you like it?"
"I love it, thank you so much!" Hermione said. She squealed in delight and Draco smiled. "Now, we really need to get changed.
Draco led the girl up the stairs and watched her enter her room. Draco kept his thoughts carefully shut out of his head and dressed himself. He met her down the stairs dressed in blue jeans, a t shirt and a sports coat over it. Hermione came walking down the stairs with dark blue jeans and a peasant top. It showed off her cleavage well. She also wore strappy high heel sandals, her new necklace and earrings that matched. She carried a clutch that she must have put her card into and asked him if she was dressed okay.
"They're your friends, you know them better than I do, but yes, I'd have to say you are dressed amazingly. I see you found the jewelry." Draco commented. "Those earrings go well with that necklace." He said, as they walked out the door. He held out his hand, and next she knew, they were standing in front of the Burrow. Hermione took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Mrs. Weasley answered the door with a smile.
"You are right on time. Look at you, dear, you look lovely." She said, while squeezing her into a hug. "Dinner will be in an hour, the others are in the sitting room. Welcome, Draco, we are very glad to have you here with us." Hermione smiled at the politely nervous look on his face and led him to the sitting room. Ginny squealed when she walked in. She ran up and gave her friend a hug.
"From what I understand, you just left this morning when I woke up." Hermione said. Ginny laughed.
"You just couldn't do it while I was there, could you?" She asked. Hermione smiled. She looked at Harry, Ron, and George. She wanted to hug them, but knew it wasn't a very good idea with Draco standing right behind her. She gave them an uneasy smile and Ron broke the ice.
"You do realize that Harry and Ginny got married, don't you?" He asked. Harry hit his friend and Hermione laughed.
"I figured as much when Kingsley allowed Draco and myself to go ahead and get married. Speaking of which, Gin, could you help me pack my belongings? I need to take them with me to the manor." She said, with a slight blush.
"Oh, you're going to live with him, are you?" Harry asked.
"He is my husband, Harry, and whether you know it or not, it is traditional for a husband a wife to live with each other." Hermione said, with a haughty tone. Harry smiled and gave her a one armed hug.
"It's good your back, we're going to miss you over at that manor." Harry said. Hermione smiled slightly and turned to Ginny.
"Come, on Granger, or is it Malfoy now? Anyways, come on, let's get your things packed and talk." Hermione gave Draco a slight kiss on the cheek and whispered for him to sit down. Hermione and Ginny linked arms and walked out the door.
Once in Ginny's room, Hermione gasped. For some reason she hadn't expected Harry to move in yet. "We already packed your things together. We weren't sure if you were going to stay here, but seeing as Harry is my husband now…." Ginny trailed off. "Can you believe it? I'm Mrs. Harry Potter." Ginny said.
"I'm Mrs. Draco Malfoy. It doesn't sound too bad actually." Hermione proceeded to tell her what Draco had done for her.
"You mean that necklace is new? That thing is gorgeous. Man has good taste. Hermione, "Ginny turned serious for a moment. "Do you realize that most men in Draco's position set up a trust for their wives? Doing what he did, is unheard of among the richer men."
"Harry didn't give you full access?"
"He did, but Harry wasn't raised by our standards either. Had he been, I'm sure I would only receive an allowance, and not have 100 million galleons at my disposal."
"Wow, Harry's richer than I thought he was."
"So are we, now!" Ginny said. Hermione and Ginny fell back on the bed laughing.
"Parkinson's rich, right?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"How does that trust work? Does Ron automatically get the money or does Pansy set him up with a trust?"
"Pansy still gets a trust. Her full account will transfer to Ron when they wed. Since bonding is permanent, they can never completely separate. Ron will decide whether or not to set up a trust."
"According to Draco, it's best to."
"Hopefully Draco will tell him too. I don't want Ron to lose all the money he's supposed to use to survive because that stupid cow spends it all." Ginny said. Hermione nodded in agreement. The girls sat there lost in thought for a few moments before they heard the call for lunch. The girls walked downstairs arm in arm and joined their husbands at the table.
"Did you two have a nice talk?" Draco asked, politely.
"Yes we did, I haven't been able to talk to Ginny for a couple days, and a lot has happened since I talked to her last."
"I invited everyone out to the manor for dinner this evening, I didn't think you'd mind." He said.
"That would be wonderful! Have you prepared the house elves?"
"Yes, I informed Tipsy. She's going to make sure the others get dinner done by 7." Draco said. Hermione nodded absently and sat down.
After lunch the boys headed to the manor to play on Draco's quidditch pitch while the girls went shopping. Ginny wanted to increase her wardrobe, while she had the funds to do it. Hermione and Ginny went from shop to shop finding the perfect new wardrobe for the young witch.
Three hours and 500 galleons later, the girls were walking around the back of the manor after depositing Ginny's bags at the Burrow. The boys just finished and were walking to the patio as the girls rounded the corner. "Hey, did you get everything you wanted?" Harry asked.
"I got enough. I need to figure out what exactly I have including the new things and my old wardrobe. Thank you for allowing that. And thank you, Draco, for allowing Hermione to go with me." Hermione knew it was the polite thing to do, but she didn't like that someone had to give her permission to do something.
"Let's get one thing straight. I am not my father. Hermione is my wife, but she doesn't have to ask my permission before doing something like shopping. The only time I would even object to something as menial as that is if it interfered with something political or business. My mother had to ask my father permission before she could even have someone over for tea when he was out of the country. I hated seeing her like that. I will not be like that." Draco said. Hermione felt relieved. She walked over and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek before sitting down. "Is anyone thirsty?" He asked. Everyone nodded their heads. "Mipsy, will you bring us all some butterbeer?" He asked. Mipsy nodded her head and brought the drinks.
"Who's Mipsy?" Hermione asked.
"She's Tipsy's twin. Mipsy is my personal elf. Tipsy was raised to be the elf of my wife, which is why she is your elf." Draco explained. Hermione nodded. The group sat around drinking butterbeers when George motioned that he wished to speak to Hermione alone. Hermione raised her eyebrow and glanced at Draco. Draco nodded that it was okay and Hermione and George went around the house.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, after casting muffliato.
"Have you told Draco yet, about us?" He asked.
"We haven't had the chance to discuss past lovers yet. I assumed we were going to talk about it tonight." She said. "Why do you ask?" Hermione asked.
"I was wondering why he was glaring at me."
"I didn't notice him glaring at you, but if he was, then it has nothing to do with that." Hermione assured him. "You didn't take advantage of me, George. You came when I needed you most and you stayed until I was forced to leave. You know, you will make Katie a wonderful husband." Hermione said, as she took the charm down. The two chatted as they rejoined the group, when Draco took Hermione aside.
"What was that about?" Draco asked, directly. Hermione didn't want to discuss this now, but she knew it needed to be discussed.
"Can we discuss this later, when we don't have company?" Hermione pleaded. "I promise, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"If you're sure." He said, though he wasn't so sure. The curiosity was going to get the better of him. They rejoined the rest of the group. They had a wonderful dinner with Hermione's friends, which Draco was kind of surprised at, and it was now time for them to have The Discussion. "Now, will you tell me?" Hermione was kind of surprised that he was actually asking.
"It's about my previous experience." Hermione said, carefully. "Are you sure you want to hear?" She asked.
"If you don't tell me, then the curiosity is going to get the better of me." Draco said.
"Ron and I went on one date, and it was weird. We never really clicked. I was at the Burrow one morning. For once, I was the first one awake and I got a letter from the Ministry telling me my parents were dead. I was heartbroken. George walked in at that moment and we kissed. He apparated us to his apartment and we shagged. It was only once. George and I continued to date, but we did so in secret. We needed each other right then, and we didn't want to hear that we weren't compatible. We knew that. We knew we'd never make it in a marriage. But we leaned on each other. That is the breadth of my experience." Hermione said. Draco nodded.
"Believe it or not, my experience is limited as well. In sixth year, I was dating Pansy. She wanted me to 'deflower' her. Her words, not mine. I thought I loved her, so I did it. Neither one of us knew what we were doing, so we kinda fumbled it a bit. She then decided that I didn't have enough experience for her. She cheated on me with three different guys. I realized then, that she never loved me, and what I thought was love was lust. I broke up with her. I was with a couple other girls after that, but not many. Do you want a list?" He asked.
"No. Thank you for telling me. Now I know right where we both are. I'm afraid I'm not very good." Hermione said. Let me be the judge of that." Draco said. He kissed her. She kissed him back. He deepened the kiss and moved his hands down her side. He place his hand on her belly and slipped it up her shirt. *edited sex scene* He fell against her and slowly crawled to the side. He pulled her into him and they fell asleep, both completely satisfied.
A/N: Don't forget to post a review, and thank you in advance!