The friendship that had been forged between Hermione and Draco
during the planning of the wedding vanished as soon as they were married
and Hermione found herself fighting for her place every time she spoke.
The first argument took place not even an hour after the ceremony. During their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, Draco broke it to Hermione that they were only going to Hogsmeade for the honeymoon, due to the fact that Lucius had gotten Draco a job at the Ministry and they wanted him to start as soon as possible.
"That's fine," Hermione has replied quietly to the news, still in shock that her dream hadn't become a reality. She was Mrs. Malfoy and it broke her heart.
"Well, don't sound too thrilled," Draco replied. "It's not like I want to spend five days in Hogsmeade with you, either."
"It's not that," Hermione began saying but stopped short. Draco was obviously in no mood to listen to what she had to say anyway. "Never mind," she muttered, realizing that they must look pretty funny, a newlywed couple, both looking sour and depressed. The thought almost made her giggle but she fought back the urge.
Halfway through the reception, reality hit Hermione hard. It wasn't just the fact that she was Mrs. Malfoy now; it was also the fact that she would never be able to marry Ron. She would hardly get to see him again, for the work that would have to be done in their new house. Hermione still marvelled at the size of the mansion that they would be living in. It was similar to Malfoy Manor, but not quite as extensive. Hermione tried to fight back her tears, but didn't succeed and wept silently. Several guests took it for tears of happiness and stopped to hug her on the way by her table.
The couple left for Hogsmeade that evening, instead of two days later, as originally planned. They boarded the carriage outside Malfoy Manor and, after several moments of rice throwing for which Lucius demanded the guests clean up before leaving, the carriage set off into the sunset carrying the newlywed couple.
"Don't lean on me," Draco snapped, halfway to the village.
"I wasn't," Hermione snapped back. "I wouldn't even dream of touching you."
"Some event our wedding night is going to be," Draco snarled, almost in a vicious way. Hermione was reminded strongly of the Draco Malfoy she knew at school and she hoped that his kindness before wasn't just an act until they were married. She may be a lot of things, but she would not back down to any guy, especially one that treated her so badly for so many years.
Instead of responding with the numerous thoughts that were roaming around her head, Hermione decided to stare out the carriage at the passing scenery. She was aware of Draco fidgeting beside her and it took every ounce of her strength not to snap at him to stop.
"You're breathing loudly and it's bothering me." Draco's sudden complaint sent Hermione over the edge.
"You're breathing in general," she shot back, "and that's bothering me!"
"Almost there!" called the driver from the front.
"Great!" the two of them called back in unison. Their driver must have picked up on the sarcasm because he didn't make another comment until they reached the doors of the inn where Hermione and Draco were staying.
"Thanks," Hermione said as the driver helped her out of the carriage. Looking up, she felt overwhelmed, as she had all day, at the sight of the inn. It was ancient looking but once inside, Hermione found it absolutely charming. Trying to make up for stormy waters, she asked Draco, "Isn't it quaint?"
"Maybe I'll leave you here," he muttered, heading over to the clerk at the front desk.
"Maybe I'll leave your corpse here," Hermione muttered to herself, glancing around the lobby. Outside, rain had began to pelt the windows and the sky was darkening immensely, and not just from the late hour. "Storm clouds are moving in," she thought to herself. "Much like the beginning of this marriage."
"I can honeymoon without you," Draco said, already halfway up the staircase before waiting for his bride. "It really doesn't bother me."
"I'm sure you're used to amusing yourself in more ways than one," Hermione replied bitterly, sliding by him on the staircase.
"What's that mean?" he asked, following suit.
"Figure it out."
The stomping of their shoes on the wooden stairs caused dust to fall to the ground below them and Hermione heard several people squeal. "I wish they would stop stomping around, stupid kids," some man said. Hermione, who had just let her hair down from the large clip she had put in after the ceremony, grasped the clip tightly and heaved it over the side of the staircase in the direction of the comment. A loud protest of pain made her smile contently as she continued her way up to the room.
"Someone's bringing our bags up soon," Draco said, upon reaching the door. He opened it with the key that the clerk had given him and instead of holding it open for Hermione, he let it slam in her face. Growling softly to herself, she tried the knob before realizing it was locked.
"Jerk!" she muttered angrily to herself. Luckily, before she pulled out her wand, the clerk came around the corner of the staircase, dragging their luggage and carrying Hermione's hair clip.
"The gentleman downstairs requested you have this back," he said, handing the clip to Hermione and she figured that was probably the polite version of what the man had said. "Your bags, sir," the clerk called, knocking on the door. When Draco opened it, he accepted the bags from the clerk before trying to close the door again. Hermione stuck her foot out and stopped it from slamming in her face a second time.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked, stepping into the room and slamming the door again. Someone down the hall shouted a few choice words about the slamming of the door, but both Hermione and Draco chose to ignore them. "Back at the Manor, you were all nice and considerate towards me. Now you're Mr. Nasty again. I won't put up with it." Hermione turned to the dresser and began taking off her white gloves she had worn for the entire reception. She gently fingered the two rings on her left ring finger, seriously considering taking them off and chucking them in Draco's face.
"Nothing's wrong with me," he replied, kicking his shoes off and laying on the king size bed. "I am hungry, though." He looked at her so distinctly that she couldn't stop herself.
"Yes?"
"Well, aren't you going to make me something to eat?"
Hermione looked around. "I know you're dense, but I feel it is my duty as your wife to point out to you that we are in a hotel. They have service here." She emphasized the words 'hotel' and 'service' to get her point across. "I am not a waitress here, nor do I get paid for looking after you."
"Your point?" Draco asked, shrugging as best he could while lying down. His hands were behind his head and Hermione felt the strong urge to knee him directly in the groin. But she kept her cool. Instead, she threw the hair clip at him and, ignoring his screeches of pain, dug her brush out of her bag and began brushing her hair.
The rest of the evening did not go smoothly. If anything, it went worse than their first few hours as a married couple. Downstairs, at dinner, someone at the wedding party thought it would be a nice gesture to call the hotel and make sure they made a big deal out of the newlyweds staying at the inn. After the third round of the wedding march, Hermione finally snapped. "Thank you!" she hollered at the singing waiters, who stopped suddenly and dispersed. She caught Draco giving her an almost approving look, but it vanished as soon as he saw her looking at him.
"Nice attitude," he muttered towards her before taking a sip of his water.
"You flatter me," she replied tediously. She continued to eat slowly, not feeling even the least bit hungry. Whatever Ron had wanted to talk to her about still plagued her. She had not heard from him since they came back from the hospital and she only hoped that her letter to her parents had reached them and they forwarded the message on to Harry. Neither one of her parents mentioned the letter at the wedding.
After supper, Hermione lay on the bed, trying to rest her eyes. Draco sat at the desk, creaking the chair legs purposely to annoy her. Every once in a while she would open an eye and glare hatefully at him. He would stop for a few moments before continuing. "Do you mind?" she asked after several minutes.
"Not at all," he answered, gesturing towards her. "Sleep if you must. You will need your energy for tonight."
"To kill you in your sleep," she muttered to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Hermione must have drifted off because when she awoke, the sky was pitch black, as well as the room. Draco had fallen asleep beside her and she shifted carefully, so not to wake him. The last thing she wanted was him crawling all over her.
She faced the open window and looked up at the stars and the moon above. No matter where she was in this world, it was comforting to know that if she looked up at the sky, she was looking at the same moon and stars that Ron and Harry were looking at. They were still on the same plane of earth as she was, and that was a little helpful in her depression. Feeling a little put out that none of her Hogwarts teachers had been invited to the wedding, Hermione felt a tear slip down her cheek. It trickled onto her pillow and she sniffled. Loneliness was a terrible burden. She closed her eyes and softly sobbed before drifting into a solid sleep.
She awoke the next morning to Draco's face leaning over her. "Breakfast," he said shortly but his voice was nowhere near as bitter as it was the night before. She sat up slowly, grinding the sleep out of her eyes and yawning. She had slept well, considering the situation, and chalked it up to exhaustion from the ceremony and reception. Her eyes followed Draco around the room as he prepared for the day and she narrowed her eyes when he looked at her.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked, gesturing towards the doorway.
"What do you care?" she muttered, fingering the pattern on the bedspread. Despite her several hours of rest, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to deal with his sarcasm and attitude today.
"Fine." Draco shrugged and opened the door. "I can dine without you." He let it shut and the sound echoed down the hallway. This time, no one yelled to keep it down.
Standing up, aware that her head was spinning, Hermione carefully made her way towards the washroom where she splashed her face with cold water. Changing her mind, she grabbed a towel and jumped in the shower, letting the hot water stream through her hair and cleanse her body of sleeping next to a Malfoy.
Hermione sat on the closed toilet seat after her shower and waited for the steam from the shower to clear out of the washroom. She dried her hair slowly with another towel and thought about what she was going to do that day. Technically, there was nothing to do. Most couples looked forward to spending time together on their honeymoon; Hermione wanted to disappear into the floor.
"Back!" called Draco as the door slammed shut again. Picking up the pace, Hermione dressed and joined him in the bedroom. He was sitting on the king size bed, staring into space, a soft dreamy look pasted on his face. When he saw her, however, the look vanished. "You're up."
"Don't look so happy," she retorted, walking past him and digging through her bag. She was looking for nothing in particular but chose to search rather than sit on the same bed as Draco and stare at the same blank wall.
"What are you looking for?"
"What do you care?"
Their incessant quips at each other were interrupted by the screech of an owl. Looking up towards the open window, Hermione saw Hedwig fly in. "Hedwig!" she cried happily, accepting the owl's gracious looks. "What do you have for me?"
Hedwig stuck out her leg and Hermione untied the letter. She glared at Draco, almost daring him to say something against her receiving mail. He, however, ignored the obvious fact and continued to examine the empty space on the wall in front of him.
"Dear Hermione," the letter read. "I got your letter from your parents, although your father had to sneak it to me because your mother doesn't approve. Go figure. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the wedding; Ron and I were considering crashing it, just to piss the Malfoys off. Although I don't think Lucius Malfoy needs any more reasons to hate me. I already landed him in Azkaban two years ago; he should be good and angry now.
"Ron's home now. He's doing much better and is quite content with the world around him. I think he made his peace with the whole you and Malfoy deal while in the hospital. Which is good because the poor guy doesn't need any more pain than he's already got.
"I hope we will see you soon, Hermione. I'm still at the Burrow because I had another row with Uncle Vernon. I can't wait until I can move out on my own. Do you think Malfoy would mind if I stayed at your new place? Love Harry. P.S. That last comment was most definitely sarcastic."
Hermione smiled, the letter brightening her day. With the thought of seeing Harry and Ron again soon, she set off for the village, telling Draco that she wanted to do some shopping when all she really wanted was to get away. There was so much to think about lately: the wedding, Lily's diaries, what Ron wanted so badly to tell her and if she could ever forgive her parents for all they had done to her. She left the hotel, her heart feeling mildly lighter than before.
The first argument took place not even an hour after the ceremony. During their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, Draco broke it to Hermione that they were only going to Hogsmeade for the honeymoon, due to the fact that Lucius had gotten Draco a job at the Ministry and they wanted him to start as soon as possible.
"That's fine," Hermione has replied quietly to the news, still in shock that her dream hadn't become a reality. She was Mrs. Malfoy and it broke her heart.
"Well, don't sound too thrilled," Draco replied. "It's not like I want to spend five days in Hogsmeade with you, either."
"It's not that," Hermione began saying but stopped short. Draco was obviously in no mood to listen to what she had to say anyway. "Never mind," she muttered, realizing that they must look pretty funny, a newlywed couple, both looking sour and depressed. The thought almost made her giggle but she fought back the urge.
Halfway through the reception, reality hit Hermione hard. It wasn't just the fact that she was Mrs. Malfoy now; it was also the fact that she would never be able to marry Ron. She would hardly get to see him again, for the work that would have to be done in their new house. Hermione still marvelled at the size of the mansion that they would be living in. It was similar to Malfoy Manor, but not quite as extensive. Hermione tried to fight back her tears, but didn't succeed and wept silently. Several guests took it for tears of happiness and stopped to hug her on the way by her table.
The couple left for Hogsmeade that evening, instead of two days later, as originally planned. They boarded the carriage outside Malfoy Manor and, after several moments of rice throwing for which Lucius demanded the guests clean up before leaving, the carriage set off into the sunset carrying the newlywed couple.
"Don't lean on me," Draco snapped, halfway to the village.
"I wasn't," Hermione snapped back. "I wouldn't even dream of touching you."
"Some event our wedding night is going to be," Draco snarled, almost in a vicious way. Hermione was reminded strongly of the Draco Malfoy she knew at school and she hoped that his kindness before wasn't just an act until they were married. She may be a lot of things, but she would not back down to any guy, especially one that treated her so badly for so many years.
Instead of responding with the numerous thoughts that were roaming around her head, Hermione decided to stare out the carriage at the passing scenery. She was aware of Draco fidgeting beside her and it took every ounce of her strength not to snap at him to stop.
"You're breathing loudly and it's bothering me." Draco's sudden complaint sent Hermione over the edge.
"You're breathing in general," she shot back, "and that's bothering me!"
"Almost there!" called the driver from the front.
"Great!" the two of them called back in unison. Their driver must have picked up on the sarcasm because he didn't make another comment until they reached the doors of the inn where Hermione and Draco were staying.
"Thanks," Hermione said as the driver helped her out of the carriage. Looking up, she felt overwhelmed, as she had all day, at the sight of the inn. It was ancient looking but once inside, Hermione found it absolutely charming. Trying to make up for stormy waters, she asked Draco, "Isn't it quaint?"
"Maybe I'll leave you here," he muttered, heading over to the clerk at the front desk.
"Maybe I'll leave your corpse here," Hermione muttered to herself, glancing around the lobby. Outside, rain had began to pelt the windows and the sky was darkening immensely, and not just from the late hour. "Storm clouds are moving in," she thought to herself. "Much like the beginning of this marriage."
"I can honeymoon without you," Draco said, already halfway up the staircase before waiting for his bride. "It really doesn't bother me."
"I'm sure you're used to amusing yourself in more ways than one," Hermione replied bitterly, sliding by him on the staircase.
"What's that mean?" he asked, following suit.
"Figure it out."
The stomping of their shoes on the wooden stairs caused dust to fall to the ground below them and Hermione heard several people squeal. "I wish they would stop stomping around, stupid kids," some man said. Hermione, who had just let her hair down from the large clip she had put in after the ceremony, grasped the clip tightly and heaved it over the side of the staircase in the direction of the comment. A loud protest of pain made her smile contently as she continued her way up to the room.
"Someone's bringing our bags up soon," Draco said, upon reaching the door. He opened it with the key that the clerk had given him and instead of holding it open for Hermione, he let it slam in her face. Growling softly to herself, she tried the knob before realizing it was locked.
"Jerk!" she muttered angrily to herself. Luckily, before she pulled out her wand, the clerk came around the corner of the staircase, dragging their luggage and carrying Hermione's hair clip.
"The gentleman downstairs requested you have this back," he said, handing the clip to Hermione and she figured that was probably the polite version of what the man had said. "Your bags, sir," the clerk called, knocking on the door. When Draco opened it, he accepted the bags from the clerk before trying to close the door again. Hermione stuck her foot out and stopped it from slamming in her face a second time.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked, stepping into the room and slamming the door again. Someone down the hall shouted a few choice words about the slamming of the door, but both Hermione and Draco chose to ignore them. "Back at the Manor, you were all nice and considerate towards me. Now you're Mr. Nasty again. I won't put up with it." Hermione turned to the dresser and began taking off her white gloves she had worn for the entire reception. She gently fingered the two rings on her left ring finger, seriously considering taking them off and chucking them in Draco's face.
"Nothing's wrong with me," he replied, kicking his shoes off and laying on the king size bed. "I am hungry, though." He looked at her so distinctly that she couldn't stop herself.
"Yes?"
"Well, aren't you going to make me something to eat?"
Hermione looked around. "I know you're dense, but I feel it is my duty as your wife to point out to you that we are in a hotel. They have service here." She emphasized the words 'hotel' and 'service' to get her point across. "I am not a waitress here, nor do I get paid for looking after you."
"Your point?" Draco asked, shrugging as best he could while lying down. His hands were behind his head and Hermione felt the strong urge to knee him directly in the groin. But she kept her cool. Instead, she threw the hair clip at him and, ignoring his screeches of pain, dug her brush out of her bag and began brushing her hair.
The rest of the evening did not go smoothly. If anything, it went worse than their first few hours as a married couple. Downstairs, at dinner, someone at the wedding party thought it would be a nice gesture to call the hotel and make sure they made a big deal out of the newlyweds staying at the inn. After the third round of the wedding march, Hermione finally snapped. "Thank you!" she hollered at the singing waiters, who stopped suddenly and dispersed. She caught Draco giving her an almost approving look, but it vanished as soon as he saw her looking at him.
"Nice attitude," he muttered towards her before taking a sip of his water.
"You flatter me," she replied tediously. She continued to eat slowly, not feeling even the least bit hungry. Whatever Ron had wanted to talk to her about still plagued her. She had not heard from him since they came back from the hospital and she only hoped that her letter to her parents had reached them and they forwarded the message on to Harry. Neither one of her parents mentioned the letter at the wedding.
After supper, Hermione lay on the bed, trying to rest her eyes. Draco sat at the desk, creaking the chair legs purposely to annoy her. Every once in a while she would open an eye and glare hatefully at him. He would stop for a few moments before continuing. "Do you mind?" she asked after several minutes.
"Not at all," he answered, gesturing towards her. "Sleep if you must. You will need your energy for tonight."
"To kill you in your sleep," she muttered to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Hermione must have drifted off because when she awoke, the sky was pitch black, as well as the room. Draco had fallen asleep beside her and she shifted carefully, so not to wake him. The last thing she wanted was him crawling all over her.
She faced the open window and looked up at the stars and the moon above. No matter where she was in this world, it was comforting to know that if she looked up at the sky, she was looking at the same moon and stars that Ron and Harry were looking at. They were still on the same plane of earth as she was, and that was a little helpful in her depression. Feeling a little put out that none of her Hogwarts teachers had been invited to the wedding, Hermione felt a tear slip down her cheek. It trickled onto her pillow and she sniffled. Loneliness was a terrible burden. She closed her eyes and softly sobbed before drifting into a solid sleep.
She awoke the next morning to Draco's face leaning over her. "Breakfast," he said shortly but his voice was nowhere near as bitter as it was the night before. She sat up slowly, grinding the sleep out of her eyes and yawning. She had slept well, considering the situation, and chalked it up to exhaustion from the ceremony and reception. Her eyes followed Draco around the room as he prepared for the day and she narrowed her eyes when he looked at her.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked, gesturing towards the doorway.
"What do you care?" she muttered, fingering the pattern on the bedspread. Despite her several hours of rest, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to deal with his sarcasm and attitude today.
"Fine." Draco shrugged and opened the door. "I can dine without you." He let it shut and the sound echoed down the hallway. This time, no one yelled to keep it down.
Standing up, aware that her head was spinning, Hermione carefully made her way towards the washroom where she splashed her face with cold water. Changing her mind, she grabbed a towel and jumped in the shower, letting the hot water stream through her hair and cleanse her body of sleeping next to a Malfoy.
Hermione sat on the closed toilet seat after her shower and waited for the steam from the shower to clear out of the washroom. She dried her hair slowly with another towel and thought about what she was going to do that day. Technically, there was nothing to do. Most couples looked forward to spending time together on their honeymoon; Hermione wanted to disappear into the floor.
"Back!" called Draco as the door slammed shut again. Picking up the pace, Hermione dressed and joined him in the bedroom. He was sitting on the king size bed, staring into space, a soft dreamy look pasted on his face. When he saw her, however, the look vanished. "You're up."
"Don't look so happy," she retorted, walking past him and digging through her bag. She was looking for nothing in particular but chose to search rather than sit on the same bed as Draco and stare at the same blank wall.
"What are you looking for?"
"What do you care?"
Their incessant quips at each other were interrupted by the screech of an owl. Looking up towards the open window, Hermione saw Hedwig fly in. "Hedwig!" she cried happily, accepting the owl's gracious looks. "What do you have for me?"
Hedwig stuck out her leg and Hermione untied the letter. She glared at Draco, almost daring him to say something against her receiving mail. He, however, ignored the obvious fact and continued to examine the empty space on the wall in front of him.
"Dear Hermione," the letter read. "I got your letter from your parents, although your father had to sneak it to me because your mother doesn't approve. Go figure. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the wedding; Ron and I were considering crashing it, just to piss the Malfoys off. Although I don't think Lucius Malfoy needs any more reasons to hate me. I already landed him in Azkaban two years ago; he should be good and angry now.
"Ron's home now. He's doing much better and is quite content with the world around him. I think he made his peace with the whole you and Malfoy deal while in the hospital. Which is good because the poor guy doesn't need any more pain than he's already got.
"I hope we will see you soon, Hermione. I'm still at the Burrow because I had another row with Uncle Vernon. I can't wait until I can move out on my own. Do you think Malfoy would mind if I stayed at your new place? Love Harry. P.S. That last comment was most definitely sarcastic."
Hermione smiled, the letter brightening her day. With the thought of seeing Harry and Ron again soon, she set off for the village, telling Draco that she wanted to do some shopping when all she really wanted was to get away. There was so much to think about lately: the wedding, Lily's diaries, what Ron wanted so badly to tell her and if she could ever forgive her parents for all they had done to her. She left the hotel, her heart feeling mildly lighter than before.