Author's Note: Hey guys! This is something I've had riding around in my head for a while now and just couldn't manage to get it out how I wanted to until today. This one shot is based off of the Phil Collin's song "You'll Be in my Heart." Enjoy!
Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
"That was a disaster!" Hermione began to cry the second they stepped out of the fireplace into Draco's flat.
"Hermione," Draco began before he was cut off.
"No, Draco, nothing you can say will make it any better. My friends hate me!"
Hermione threw herself down on Draco's couch and began to sob into her hands. Draco was unsure how to respond. The afternoon had gone horribly. After hiding their relationship for months, they had finally decided to tell their friends and family about them. Hermione had suggested they start with her friends as they would be furious if they had found out from anyone else before Hermione had a chance to tell them herself. Well as it turns out, they were furious regardless of how they found out…
"Hermione," Draco repeated, sitting down next to her.
"What, Draco? What can you say that will make any of this better?" Hermione looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
Draco wordlessly held his hand out to her. She sniffed, then laced her fingers with his. With his free hand, Draco took Hermione's right hand and placed it over his heart.
"Do you feel this?" he asked, "Hermione, I love you."
"This," he continued, pointing to the two of them, "isn't wrong. No matter what your friends say. This is right. It's always been right. Even when we didn't know it ourselves. Even when we hated each other. Even when I was the boy who made all the wrong decisions and you were the girl who saw everything in black and white. We were always supposed to be together. Because this is right. This is good."
Hermione ran her hands across her cheeks to wipe away her tears and curled up to Draco on the couch, his arms circling around her.
"I love you, too," she whispered. I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
Draco carried Hermione to bed, carefully pulling the comforter around her. A soft smile lay on her lips, defying the tear stains on her face. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. As quietly as he could, he grabbed his cloak and his wand and then tiptoed out of his bedroom, carefully closing the door behind him. He strode over to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder on the way.
"Ginny Weasley's flat," he said as he tossed the Floo powder on the floor.
Moments later, he stumbled out of Ginny's fireplace, nearly causing Ginny, who was curled up on her couch watching a show on the television Hermione bought for her, to drop her bowl of ice cream that was balancing precariously on her knees.
"What the hell, Malfoy?!" Ginny yelped as she grabbed her wand off the floor next to her.
Draco raised his arms in the air, wand tucked carefully into his pocket.
"I come in peace," he said carefully, eyeing her raised wand, "I just came to talk."
"What in the name of Merlin's beard could we possibly have to talk about?" she replied scathingly.
Draco uttered one word.
"Hermione."
Two hours later, Ron and Harry were startled by the sight of an absolutely livid Ginny Weasley stomping out of their fire place with a smirking Draco Malfoy right behind her.
"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley!" Ginny seethed as she grabbed both of them by their ears, "I know everything that went on this afternoon. What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Draco slouched in the recliner Harry was previously sitting in, obviously enjoying the show.
"Ouch, Gin! That bloody hurts," Ron yelped as he struggled vainly to reach the wand lying two feet away from him.
"Ginny, let go!" Harry said, slightly frightened by the way Ginny seemed to be channeling Molly Weasley.
"No! I'm not letting either of you go until you explain what on earth was going through your minds this afternoon!" Ginny shouted.
"Our minds?!" Ron yelled, "What about hers? She's the one dating a Death Eater!"
"Oh please, Ron. The Death Eater excuse may have worked four years ago, but you know as well as I that Draco has more than atoned for all of his past mistakes," Ginny said, "And you should know that seeing how he's been working alongside the two of you in the auror department for over a year!"
"'Draco?'" Ron asked, "Since when are you on a first name basis with the ferret?"
"Since he came to my apartment two hours ago and told me everything that has gone on between him and Hermione for the past six months and everything that went on this afternoon," Ginny answered before finally releasing the boys' ears.
She crossed her arms in front of her. "Now what do you have to say for yourselves?"
"She betrayed us," Harry said, rubbing his left ear, "She has been our best friend for over ten years, and she's choosing Malfoy over us!"
"That's rubbish, Harry. Honestly! I'd expect that from Ron, but from you? Did you even give them a chance to explain before you and Ron tried to hex him?" Ginny asked.
"Hey! He had his wand out first!" Ron asserted.
"Of course I did, you idiot. Do you honestly think I would walk in here without being prepared to defend myself and Hermione?" Draco sneered.
"We would never hurt Hermione," Harry replied, glaring at Draco.
"Good. That makes three of us," Draco answered, "Believe it or not, I care about her, too."
"You hate her," Ron cut in, "You taunted, teased, and tortured her and us all throughout Hogwarts. Why would you change now?"
"Because believe it or not, some of us have grown up a bit since school," Draco answered.
"Prove it."
"What?" Draco asked, turning to Harry, "How do you want me to prove it?"
Harry walked past Ginny to a small potions cupboard in his kitchen and pulled out a small vial handing it to Draco.
"Veritaserum. Drink this, and we'll be able to see for sure just what your intentions are toward her," Harry replied.
"Why that is ridiculous," Ginny said, "Honestly, you can't expect him to—"
"I'll do it," Draco cut Ginny off.
He unscrewed the cork and downed the entire contents of the vial, letting the potions take its effects.
"Ask away," he said, trying to appear nonchalant, yet fully aware of how open he was placing himself in their hands.
"How long have you and Hermione been dating?" Harry asked.
"Seven months, one week, and two days," Draco replied almost instantly.
"Why did you start dating her?" Ron asked, he and Harry clearly taking on the manner in which they conducted investigations in the auror department.
"She…intrigued me. No one else could hold their own against me but she. It began quite by accident. We were arguing over something inane, I don't even remember what it was, and all I could think about was how cute she looked when she was angry. I just wanted her to shut up and without thinking I grabbed her face and kissed her. We went on our first date two days later."
"Why did you hide your relationship?" Harry asked.
"We were afraid of how our friends and family would react," Draco answered, eyeing Harry and Ron, "A fear that was apparently not unfounded…"
"How do you feel about Voldemort and Death Eaters?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Ron!" Ginny shouted.
"The Dark Lord…I mean, Vol-Voldemort, was a sick twisted bastard. I joined him at my father's insistence and my mother's worries. My family would have been in mortal danger had I refused. I joined him to protect my family," Draco said with his eyes closed, as this was obviously bringing up some painful memories.
"How do you feel about Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I love her. She accepts me for who I am. She hasn't forgotten who I used to be, but she doesn't hold that against me either. We fight, a lot, and we challenge each other. Sometimes, I want to strangle her because she is so damn stubborn and self-righteous. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. I'm going to ask her to marry me," Draco said, taking a deep breath.
The boys stared at him in shock. Then, Ron tapped Harry on the shoulder and said, "Huddle."
The boys huddled together talking quietly between themselves. Draco heard bits and pieces of what they were saying.
"…obvious he cares about her."
"…still a pureblooded prat…"
"You think the veritaserum was faulty?"
"…ferret needs to…"
"'Mione's gonna kill us if we don't…"
"You think he would renounce his Malfoyness?"
"…you know what we gotta do now, don't you?"
"Agreed?"
"Agreed."
The pair turned around and strode over to Draco, who was now sitting up straight in the chair anxiously watching Harry and Ron with a grim look on his face. Ginny was meanwhile watching the entire interaction with amusement. Ron stared at Harry, obviously waiting for him to begin. Seeing this, Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs, pushing him forward.
"Ferret, I mean Malfoy," Ron began and then mumbled, "I apologize for hexing you, even though you deserve worse than that for everything that happened while we were at school."
Ginny shot him a warning look and Ron hurriedly continued, "And I didn't mean what I said to 'Mione earlier."
Draco eyed him carefully, a hard look still on his face. "Tell Hermione that, not me."
"We will," Harry replied, "Neither of us meant what we said."
Harry stuck his hand out to Draco. "We would like to give you a chance."
"For Hermione's sake," Ron added.
Draco looked at the pair hesitantly for a moment before shaking Harry's hand and then Ron's.
"Be at my flat in an hour to talk to Hermione," Draco said as he strolled out of the room whispering a quiet thanks to Ginny as he passed by. For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
Moments later, Draco was back in his flat. He made his way to his bedroom to see Hermione turned over on her side. At first he thought she was asleep, but then he heard her muffled cries. He sunk into the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's alright, love. I'm here," he whispered in her ear.
She sniffed and then smiled at him reluctantly.
"I know I shouldn't still be crying," she said, "but I can't help it. They've been my best friends for years, and now I've lost it all."
"You haven't lost it all," Draco reassured her.
"I know I have you, Draco," Hermione answered smiling through her tears, "Believe me, I'm very glad for that."
"Oh really?" he asked seductively, "Wanna show me how glad?"
She giggled as he slipped a hand underneath her shirt before slowly pulling it off. She unzipped his pants and grasped the waistband of his pants and silk boxers, sliding them down his legs. He threw his shirt off in one quick movement, and soon her sleep shorts were gone as well.
"You're beautiful," he whispered as he gazed at her body lovingly.
He kissed her neck, eliciting moans from her, before slowly sliding into her.
"Gods, Hermione, you feel good," he whispered.
Hermione gently smiled up at him as she began to run her hands up and down his body.
"So do you," she replied.
Suddenly, the door to Draco's bedroom burst open.
"Hermione, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier and—Gah! My eyes!" Ron shouted as he ran out of the room.
"Fuck," groaned Draco before shouting out, "I told you to come in an hour, Weasel!"
"What's going on?" Harry asked Ron, oblivious to what had been occurring in the bedroom.
"They—I—were doing—Malfoy—gods, my eyes burn. Quick, obliviate me, Harry," Ron said grasping Harry's shoulders.
Meanwhile in the bedroom, Hermione was frantically trying to find her clothes. Draco came up behind her.
"Aww come on, Mione. You aren't seriously gonna leave me like this, are you?" he asked, nibbling her ear.
"What did you mean?" Hermione asked as she quickly turned around.
"What?" Draco said.
"You told Ron that you said to come in an hour. What did you mean?" Draco looked down sheepishly. "Where did you go Draco?"
"Well, first I went to Weaselette's house and then I went to Potter's flat and then I went to the loo." Draco's face turned red. "Careful, love, I'm still under the effects of veritaserum."
"Veritaserum? I'm going to kill them," she murmured, before sharply turning around and walking straight out the door.
She stalked right up to a confused Harry and a frantic Ron who was currently trying to wash his eyes in the sink. He hit his head violently.
"No matter what I do, I can't get the image out of my head!" he shouted, his voice slightly muffled in the sink.
"Veritaserum?!" Hermione shrieked, smacking both Harry and Ron, the impact making him smack his head on the faucet.
"Merlin, Mione, don't you think what I just saw was punishment enough?" Ron muttered rubbing his now soaking wet head.
Hermione ignored him.
"You used veritaserum on him? What? My word couldn't be trusted? Ten years! We've been friends for ten bloody years, and you had to use veritaserum on my boyfriend because you didn't trust me!" she shouted at them, anger replacing the tears that had been on her face.
"That wasn't it!" Harry quickly shouted, trying to placate her, "It was him we didn't trust!"
Meanwhile, Ron was aiming his wand at his face trying to figure out a way to obliviate himself.
"Give me that!" Hermione grabbed Ron's wand.
"Mione, we really didn't mean what we said. We thought he was using you!" Ron argued.
"Yeah because I'm so naïve I can't tell when someone is using me," Hermione said sarcastically.
"Hermione, you always want to see the good in people. Sometimes, there isn't good to be seen," Harry answered, "We thought that was what had happened with Malfoy."
"Draco," Hermione inserted.
"Draco," Harry corrected.
Ron grabbed one of Hermione's hands. "Listen, Mione. We are both really sorry. We were just really shocked and said some things we shouldn't have."
Ron glanced over at Harry, and they both enveloped Hermione in a big hug. Hermione kept her arms firmly at her side.
"Come on, Mione. This is gonna get really awkward really quickly if you don't start hugging us back," Harry said.
Hermione glanced at her two boys.
"You guys are real idiots, you know that?" Hermione asked, then softened, "But I guess I forgive you."
She wrapped her arms around Harry and Ron.
Meanwhile, Draco had finally emerged from his bedroom with his clothes on.
Observing the situation, Draco leaned against the doorframe and said, "Well, well, well, is the Golden Trio one big happy family again?"
Hermione smiled tenderly at Draco. "Yeah, we made up."
"Great," answered Draco, then pointed to Harry and Ron, "Then, you two can get out. Hermione and I were a little busy before you barged in."
"Draco!" Hermione admonished.
Ron shuddered. "I will never be able to get that image out of my head. Harry, are you sure you can't obliviate me?"
"Do you want to end up like Lockhart, mate?" Harry asked.
"Maybe a memory charm then…or a forgetfulness potion…" Ron murmured.
"We'll figure it out later. C'mon, Ron," Harry replied.
Harry kissed the top of Hermione's head, and Ron pulled her into a one-armed hug.
"We'll see you later, Mione!" Ron shouted as he stepped into the fireplace.
"Yeah, maybe you two can double date with Ginny and me sometime this weekend," Harry said before flooing away.
This bond between us 'Cause you'll be in my heart You'll be in my heart
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
Hermione crossed her arms and turned toward Draco.
"That was rude."
"Aww come on, Hermione. We were right in the middle of—you know, and I mean, I did go talk to them, and I even took veritaserum to proof to them how I feel about you," Draco reasoned.
"And how do you feel?" Hermione asked, with the corners of her mouth turning upward.
"Merlin, Hermione, I've told you before."
Hermione stared at him in anticipation.
"Fine. I love you, Hermione." He walked over to her and grabbed her face in his hands. "No one on this planet makes me feel as much as you do. You can be the most infuriating little witch sometimes, but the truth is, I would rather be fighting with you any day than fucking any other girl. All those years we wasted fighting with one another, well I don't like to think of them as wasted years. I think that we weren't prepared for each other back then. We both had a lot of growing up to do, myself especially. But our souls still knew that we were soul mates. That's why we couldn't stay away from each other. Think about it, Hermione. There were a lot of other muggleborns at Hogwarts but you were the only one I tormented specifically. I think even back then, I was in love with you. I just didn't know it. The truth is, whether I knew it or not, I've been in love with you my whole life, and I will be for the rest of my life. Merlin, I wasn't planning on doing it like this, but this feels right."
He got down on one knee and pulled a ring out of his back pocket.
"Hermione Jean Granger, I love you more than life itself. You are my past, my present, and my future. I can't imagine life without you from this day on, now, and forevermore. Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?"
Draco looked up at her expectantly. Hermione's eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Yes," she whispered, and then shouted excitedly, "Yes!"
Hermione giggled as he picked her up and spun her around.
"C'mon, Future Mrs. Malfoy, let's go celebrate."
Hermione shrieked as he tickled her and carried her into their bedroom.
Why can't they understand the way we feel? And you'll be in my heart
They just don't trust what they can't explain
I know we're different but deep inside us
We're not that different at all
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
"The mudblood?!" Pansy shrieked, "You're marrying the bushy-haired, know-it-all, golden girl mudblood?"
"Watch your mouth, Parkinson," Draco growled.
"What do your parents think?" Blaise asked, "They can't be too happy about it."
"Haven't exactly told them yet." Draco leaned back against his chair in the Leaky Cauldron and slowly slipped his firewhiskey. "Planning on breaking the news to them tonight. But hey, think on the positive side, maybe this will be the push father needs to finally crack and get sent to St. Mungo's."
"Way to look at the silver lining, mate," Blaise replied appreciatively.
Hermione entered the pub.
"There she is," Draco said and then pointedly looked at Blaise and Pansy, "Be nice! And no using the M-word either."
Hermione approached them and kissed Draco's cheek.
"Hello, Blaise, Pansy," Hermione said trying to gauge how they had taken it.
"Why hello, Hermione," Blaise drawled as he kissed Hermione's hand, "Aren't you looking particularly ravishing today?"
Draco growled under his breath. "Watch yourself, Zabini."
Blaise laughed. "I'm just joking, Draco. Relax."
"How do we know you're not using him?" Pansy blurted out.
"Pansy!" Draco admonished.
"No, it's alright, Draco. You had to answer to my friends. It's only fair that I do the same." Hermione grasped his knee with her right hand.
"To answer your question, Pansy, I know that Draco stands to inherit a lot of money. But I'm not a gold digger. Believe it or not, I come from an upper class Muggle family with substantial monetary funds, and I have a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. I don't need Draco's money," Hermione replied assertively.
"How did you two even end up together, anyways?" Blaise asked.
"Well, it actually happened at work one day. Draco works a few offices down from mine, and Kingsley had asked up to work on a case together, since Draco had been the one to bring the criminal in. As it usually happens, we started to argue over something minor. I guess all those years of suppressed attraction sort of bubbled over because we went from screaming at each other to snogging in mere seconds. We've been together ever since."
Draco smiled over at Hermione and pulled her into his lap. "They say fighting can be a type of foreplay."
Hermione giggled. They were both so entranced in one another that neither noticed the couple that entered the pub.
"Draco?" a familiar voice said from behind them.
"Oh dear Merlin," Draco murmured under his breath, "This will not end well."
He turned his head around. "Hello, Mother, Father. How are you?"
"Quite fine, dear," Narcissa noticed the girl sitting on Draco's lap, "Well, don't be rude, Draco. Introduce us to your date."
Hermione slowly turned around. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."
Lucius and Narcissa stared at Hermione.
"Son," Lucius began, "Care to explain to us why the mudblood is sitting on your lap?"
"Her name is Hermione. And she is a witch, not a mudblood. There's no difference between her and any other witch or wizard here. And to answer your question, we've been dating for some time now."
Lucius began to speak but Narcissa stopped him.
"Draco, would you please speak to us in private?" Narcissa said through tight lips.
"Excuse me, darling," Draco said to Hermione as he briefly kissed her, then rose to move to the corner of the Leaky Cauldron to speak with his parents.
Hermione sat in awkward silence with Pansy and Blaise.
Trying to break the awkward silence, Hermione said, "So, Pansy, how is work going?"
"As well as can be expected. I have a few different investors in my new clothing line, but nothing definite yet," Pansy answered.
Their conversation was broken up by a sudden shriek from the back of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Marrying her?! You're marrying the mudblood!" Narcissa shrieked.
"How dare you disgrace the Malfoy name?! This goes against every value we have instilled in you, Draco," Lucius shouted.
"You don't understand," Draco tried to reason with them, "I love her. She's the only witch who's ever challenged me. And it would be an honor to have her take the Malfoy name. Who cares if she's a muggleborn? I sure as hell don't! And it doesn't matter what you say, I'm not giving her up!"
Lucius then saw the attention they were garnering and cast a silencing spell.
Hermione could see them continue to argue for a while longer, before Lucius and Narcissa stormed out.
Draco rubbed his temples and then slowly walked back over to Hermione, Pansy, and Blaise.
Hermione looked up at him as he took her hand.
"Well, Mione, you know all that money you were talking about having earlier? We're going to need it. Apparently I've been disowned." Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know (what do they know)?
We need each other
To have, to hold.
They'll see in time
I know
Draco was sitting on his couch, mindlessly flipping channels on the television that Hermione had bought them months ago. Ever since his parents had disinherited him, he had been moping and listless. Hermione curled up beside him on the couch, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Maybe I could go and try to reason with them," Hermione offered.
Draco stiffened. "Absolutely not. You are not to go over to Malfoy Manor, especially alone. It's dangerous, Hermione. And besides, they made it very clear. It was them or you."
Hermione took his hand. "Draco, are you sure? While there is certainly no love lost between your parents and me, I don't want to be the reason you never speak to your family again. I mean, we didn't expect them to take it well, but to disown you…"
"Apparently, I'm 'not fit to be their son.' Or at least, that's what they said," Draco answered, trying to appear nonchalant, "Eh, who needs them anyways?"
"They are fools, Draco. They should be proud to have you as a son. You are an amazing man, Draco Malfoy, and don't let their stupidity make you think otherwise," Hermione snuggled deeper into him, "They'll see in time, I know." When destiny calls you
You must be strong (you gotta be strong)
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
It was quite difficult to sneak away from Draco. She had tried numerous times, making up various excuses, but none of them seemed to work. Finally though, she had an opportunity when Goyle had arrived at their doorstep offering to take Draco out for drinks. Goyle did not look the least surprised to see her there, so Hermione suspected that Draco had told him about them long ago.
The moment they left, Hermione put on her cloak and walked to the nearest apparition point. Gathering all of her Gryffindor courage, she apparated to right outside Malfoy Manor. Everything in her wanted to turn and run, but she forced her voice to stay steady as she knocked on the door. Within moments, a house elf answered the door. She restrained her thoughts of anger at seeing the poor house elf and focused on the task at hand.
"I am here to see Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said, sounding much braver than she felt.
"Your name?" the little house elf asked.
"Hermione Granger."
The house elf's eyes widened as large as saucers. "I am sorry, Miss. But you cannot come in. They will not see you."
"Like hell they won't." Hermione forced her way past the house elf. "I'm seeing them whether they like it or not."
She stormed through the halls of the dark house, memories flooding her mind of the unfortunate hour she spent here while on the hunt for horcruxes. Finally, she heard light talking and followed the sound right to the dining room where Bellatrix had tortured her four years ago.
"Be strong," she whispered to herself, "You can do this. Draco needs you to do this."
She rapped on the door with her knuckles, and upon hearing no reply, pushed the doors open. Lucius and Narcissa looked up in surprise.
The house elf ran in. "Pipsy is sorry, Master and Mistress. Pipsy tried to stop her, but she would not listen."
Lucius waved the house elf off, ordering her to go to the kitchens.
"Well, Miss Granger, what is so important that you must barge into our home uninvited?" Lucius sneered.
"Yes, one would think you would not return to this place after that unfortunate event that occurred last time you were here," Narcissa said.
"If you are referring to when I was tortured in this very room, yes I am very well aware of that, and did not want to come any more than you want me to be here. Probably more so in fact. I came because of Draco." Hermione crossed her arms and stared at them.
"What about Draco?" Lucius asked, clearly disdaining even having to speak with Hermione.
"Well, for starters, you are both being bloody idiots!" Hermione shouted.
"Why I beg your pardon!" Narcissa said, affronted.
"Draco is the best son you could possibly ever have, and you don't deserve him. He has grown to be such an incredible man. He was essential in the capture of over fifteen wizarding highly classified criminals in the past year alone. He is what has caused the Malfoy name to regain its reputation after the second war. If you could stop being bigoted, fascist pureblood supremists for two seconds, you could see that! Asking him to choose between his fiancé and his family was a terrible thing to do to a person. I know you don't like me, and believe me, the feeling is mutual. But if you ever want to have a relationship with your son, I suggest you swallow your petty pride and blood prejudice and apologize to him! You don't have to like me. You never even have to acknowledge my presence. But cutting Draco out of your life is not the answer. He needs his family, and I'm pretty sure you need him, too." Hermione's tirade ended with a huff.
Lucius and Narcissa stared at her in shock.
Narcissa regained her wits first. "Well, we can agree on one thing: Draco is an incredible man. His choice of women, however, lacks something to be desired. I will be frank with you, Miss Granger, as you obviously have no problem being frank with me. I do not like you. I find your presence grating, insulting, and beneath me. However, I would like to have a relationship with my son. For Draco's sake, I think that we can all agree to not attack one another."
Narcissa stared expectantly at her husband.
"Draco is disgracing our family by marrying you, but my wife is right. Draco is our only son. I do not care to lose him, even if he is making foolish decisions at the moment," Lucius replied.
"Good. Then, it's settled. I expect the two of you over at Draco's flat for tea Saturday at two." Hermione strode out of the room.
Narcissa turned toward her husband. "You know, I may not like her very much, but I have to admit that I admire her spunk."
"What did you do?" Draco stood at the foot of the bed.
After coming home from the Malfoys' last night, she had sunk into bed and had not heard Draco come in.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked groggily.
"I awoke this morning to a bloody owl pecking at the window. Imagine my surprise when I found a letter from my parents telling me they would be over here for tea on Saturday. They wouldn't just do that on their own," Draco stared down at Hermione, "What. Did. You. Do?"
Hermione quickly sat up. "Don't get mad, okay? I went to talk to your parents."
Draco's face filled with anger. "Granger, I told you specifically not to go there! It was my problem, and I was dealing with it! You could have gotten yourself killed! Do you know how many rooms in that house are designed to torture and derange someone who is not a pure-blood?"
"Draco, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I wasn't in any danger."
"Like hell you weren't. Why didn't you listen to me? I can handle my problems on my own!" he shouted.
Hermione began to get angry. "I know you can, Draco! But you don't have to! Just like I could have handled Harry and Ron on my own."
"That's not the same thing," Draco argued.
"Yes, it is. They had a problem with our relationship, and you went to talk to them about it. Same exact thing. I did it because I care about you, Draco. I didn't want you to have to lose your family because of me."
Draco's face softened a bit. "What did you even tell them, anyways?"
"That they were idiots for letting their stupid pride and blood prejudice separate them from their son who happens to be an absolutely incredible person. And I believe the phrase 'bigoted, fascist pure-blood supremists' was in there somewhere," Hermione replied.
Draco smirked. "I bet they took that well."
"I offended them and probably reinforced every notion they have of how low-class muggleborns are, but I got the point across. They want to make this work, Draco."
Draco tenderly stroked Hermione's face. "How on earth did I ever manage to have you as my fiancé?"
Hermione smiled mischievously. "You were very lucky, and don't you forget it." 'Cause you'll be in my heart Oh, you'll be in my heart (you'll be here in my heart)
Yes, you'll be in my heart
I'll be there from this day on,
Now and forever more
No matter what they say (I'll be with you)
You'll be here in my heart (I'll be there), always
Always
I'll be with you
I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always.
"Do you Draco Malfoy take Hermione Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"
Draco stared deeply into the eyes of his beautiful bride. "I do."
"And do you Hermione Granger take Draco Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"
Hermione smiled as she looked at her soon-to-be husband and gently grasped his hands. "I do."
"Then by the power invested in me by the Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Sparks flew out of everyone's wands as Draco grabbed Hermione's waist, dipped her low, and kissed her with all of the passion in his body. They continued to kiss for a few more moments, ignoring the tittering and the people clearing their throats at the sight of the prolonged wedding kiss.
"I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy."
Draco and Hermione turned and looked at all of the smiling faces beaming up at them. Ginny was catcalling. Ron and Harry were clapping and smiling widely (they were now getting along much better with Draco). An obviously pregnant Pansy held Blaise's hand as they cheered for the new couple. Even the elder Malfoys managed to give a slight smile.
Draco leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear, "We may have had a rough start, Mrs. Malfoy, but I have to say we have an excellent ending."
"Ending? No, darling, we are just getting started."
Author's Note: Don't you just love happy endings? I know the ending was a bit sappy, but I couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please leave a review! And be sure to check out my other stories:)