The young women with brown curls stood outside the courtrooms, she knew what she had to do and why she had to do it.
"Are you sure about this Hermione?" The green eyed man next to her asked.
"I can't just let them send him to Azkaban Harry, he saved my life. I owe him." Harry sighed, he knew she was right. The girl who was practically his sister would be dead if it wasn't for that man. He ran his hand through his already messy black hair.
"I don't like this, Hermione. What he did was..."
"We all made mistakes in the War Harry. You know that." She interrupted with a sigh. Harry hated that she was doing this. After everything he had done she was still going out of her way to help him. Hermione smoothed out her straight black pencil skirt and straightened her crisp white blouse. The guard at the door eyed her but didn't say a thing. He, like so many others, wondered why she was here. Hermione herself had wondered the same thing so many times. Hermione wanted to forget what had happened in her last year of Hogwarts, to forget the main reason why she was standing outside the courtroom with her best friend by her side.
"I'm not talking about the War, Hermione." He said softly and she hung her head.
"I know and that is why I must do this."
"And I still really want to kill him." Hermione laughed softly.
"You can't Harry, or Ginny would kill you." He laughed.
"You've got that right." They both smiled. "I guess we better get this over with." Her smile fell.
"Yes." She nodded and walked towards the doors, Harry at her heels.
Slipping in to the courtroom, Hermione saw that there were loads of people in the room. She could feel the loads of different emotions all directed at man who was sitting in the middle of the room, most of them negative, but he didn't seem to care.
"Still the same arrogant bast..." Hermione shot Harry a look that shut him up. They slipped in two seats at the back, Hermione unable to tear her eyes away from the man lounging in the prisoner's chair. The skin on her left hip tingling like it always did these days when she saw him. His hand twitched on the armrest of the chair. He knew she was here, she knew he knew. She rubbed the skin that was tingling. "Are you alright?" Harry hissed she nods.
"Just..." Harry nodded.
"I understand." He gave her a quick one armed hug. He understood what was wrong he had seen it with his own two eyes. He let her go and turned his attention back to the man in the chair.
"You're not the most trust worthy person in this room." The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt snapped.
"I'm pretty sure my darling wife would confirm my story." The man drawled.
"You have no wife, we've been over this!"
"Oh I do... and she's sitting in this room." Whispers started flying around the room.
"Impossible!" Percy Weasley snapped from next to the minister. Harry shot a side way's look at Hermione; she was biting her bottom lip hard.
"Silence!" The Minister roared. "We have been ever so patient with you, but this is ridiculous."
"Ask her to step forward if you don't believe me." The Minister shook his head.
"Enough of your lies" Percy snapped. Then Hermione stood.
"It is no lie, he is married." Everyone turned to look at her.
"Hermione?" Percy sounded confused. Hermione slowly walked forward. "What? How would u know?"
"Because she is my wife idiot." The young man snapped. A gasp went around the room.
"Not possible." The minister said.
"No true." Percy shrieked at the same time.
"It is Minister." Hermione said, ignoring Percy's cry of outrage. There was another gasp.
"What proof is there of this?" Percy snapped. Hermione sighed and untucked her blouse and lifted the left side revealing an elegant M with a ribbon weaving around the legs scar on the smooth skin of her hip. The minister and Percy both gasped.
"See. I told you." A smug voice said, Hermione spun around and for the first time in three years meet the blue-grey eyes that filled her dreams. "Hello darling" Draco Malfoy drawled. "How have you been?"
The whole courtroom was in uproar. Hermione stood to the side while Harry tried to explain how her marriage had happened. Draco still lounged in the chair, cutting in to Harry's tale every now and again. He kept shooting her smug looks, which made her want to repeat what she had done in the third year and punch him in the nose, but she didn't. She knew by tomorrow this would be all over the papers. She was dreading it. Dreading all the gossip, all the questions, all the attention. She sighed sadly and noticed that Draco was released from the chair. He stretched, his arms above his head, her eyes were drawn to his chest. Even under the shirt, she could see the muscles of his chest and stomach tense and become more defined. He looked at her and flashed his cocky smile her way. Hermione quickly looked away, a blush flaring on her checks. He smirked then walked over to her, her mark tingling more as he got closer. She rubbed her mark hard, trying hard to ignore him.
"So is this how it's going to be now? You spend the rest of our lives ignoring me?" He said softly, he was standing right behind her. She swallowed. "Why did you come today, Hermione?"
"To help you." She whispered back. He placed his hands on her shoulders.
"But why? Don't you want me out of your life?"
"Of course not" She said. "You're my husband Draco." He trailed his hands down her back and she shivered under his touch, he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him and rested his head on her shoulder.
"I've missed you." He breathed.
"I've missed you too Draco." She cuddled close to him. He held her close and Harry watched them.
"Minister... Must you? They are happy... Don't ruin it." He pleaded.
"She broke the law Mister Potter." Draco froze, his arms tightened around Hermione protectively, she looked up at him and noticed his worried expression and she turned in his arms and cuddles closer to him. "I can't change it for her... I do wish it wasn't so but it is." Draco held her closer to him.
"Minister... They married so young, you can't..."
"Mister Potter... I can and I must." Hermione looked scared and clung to Draco. "Mister Malfoy... You know the law..."
"I do... But..." He got a sly smile on his lips. "...Hermione and I never had proper wedding... did we love... It was just me, her, Harry and Blaise... And she got her mark... No papers we're signed." Hermione and Harry nodded. "So you could say... We're only engaged." Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"If that's true... Then there was not law broken." Kingsley smiled. "Though... I'm expecting the wedding in a few months... That is my deal." They both nodded there arms still around each other. Harry let out a soft sigh. "And Miss Granger…" He stressed her name. "I expect you to move in with Mr Malfoy as soon as possible." They both looked shocked.
"But Minister…" Harry pleaded.
"Enough, Mr Potter. Miss Granger will be living with Mr Malfoy within the month, no arguments." She felt tears fill her eyes; this wasn't what she had wanted when she had come to help. Stop him from going to Azkaban, yes, being forced to live with him… she hadn't wanted that. It was too much for her.
Pulling out of his strong, warm, comforting arms she fled the courtrooms, she ignored the yells of her name. She could hear the pain and confusion from on voice. A voice that always made her heart jump, but right now, it was like a knife. Cutting her deep. She ran through the Ministry, her flat black ballet flats making a soft thump, thump as she ran. People called out to her, but she ignored everyone, she ran in to an empty lift.
"Lobby." The invisible voice said. She sobbed softly. Her heart hurt, she wanted to be back in Draco's arms, her head on his hard muscular chest listening to his heart beat. More hot salty tears rolled down her checks. She wrapped her arms around her tiny waist and flat stomach; her head hung sobbing softly, her hair hidden behind her soft brown curls.
Soon the doors dinged open and she walked out her head down tears still rolling down her checks and pattering on to her blouse. People shot her curious glances, but she just kept walking to the fires. As she got to one a voice rang out.
"Hermione!" She could hear the worry and concern in his voice, but she didn't look back at her pursuer and just stepped in to the fire. The last thing she saw were his eyes, filled with hurt.