Hey all, this is a reply to the WIKTT marriage challenge. If you haven't heard of it before, then it's basically... well I'll explain it in the story, k? There's this marriage law and stuff that involves petitions to marry from pure bloods to half or full muggle-borns and stuff.
I really hope you like it.
Hermione screamed in frustration, slamming her hand on the desk. Ever since midnight the night before she had received three petitions, like clockwork... one every two hours.
She knew she had become somewhat of a hero in the big battle, far from the final battle, but it was an incredible battle. Many also found it courageous for her to, afterwards, be the only witch to stand up for Severus Snape in a case against him about what happened in the battle. Albus and many others had believed that Snape hadn't been hurting Harry, instead had been giving him power to fight Voldemort, but he couldn't testify having not seen anything. It didn't help that Harry couldn't remember the battle and since Hermione had been the one to protect him as he gave Harry his power and after he had gone unconscious.
She shivered to remember Lucious Malfoy's attack on Severus, that she had just barely saved him from. She had been so terrified, but Albus had sent such a terrifying spell at Lucious that he had fallen immediately unconscious.
It had been incredibly odd being paired with Snape as fighting partners (Albus had come up with the idea of everyone fighting in pairs, but after he had saved her from an Avada Kadavra early in the battle, she had fought more for his life than she did for her own.
Amazingly only two of the members of the Order had fallen: Tonks, tragically, and Kingsley, regrettably.
She snapped out of the thought of the battle. It was over. More battles would come and thinking about that major one would not help anything, but to scare her even more about the fights coming.
Now it was eight o'clock, and there was another owl knocking on her window. She threw it open and took the piece of paper, quickly from the owl, who seemed affronted by her roughness. After a moment, she sighed and patted the owl on the head, taking an owl treat (for when pigwidgeon and Hedwig arrive) and gave it to the brown eagle owl.
She opened the petition, which she read over in shock. "DRACO MALFOY!" she shouted.
Her parents came barreling up the stairs, to her room. "What's wrong dear?" Mr. Granger said, quickly.
"Nothing dad," she said, quickly. "I'll be down in a minute," she said. She gave her mom a soft smile that she believed was convincing. they seemed to buy it and went back downstairs.
Her desk was laid out with the Prophet Article on the new law and the three other petitions that she had received from two people she didn't even know and the other was from Oliver Wood himself. She was flattered but she was also trying to deal with the shock. Malfoy's letter did nothing to help her confusion.
"What the hell is he thinking?" Hermione muttered.
When she had come home the weekend of her eighteenth birthday, in September, grumbling about the law, she hadn't actually thought that she was going to get response because of it.
All the petitions except Oliver's had contained an explanation. The two that she didn't know said they had petitioned for her, because they had heard of her tremendous mind and would extremely like to marry her if only to work in close with she and the order. Malfoy's also had a letter, so she took it with shaking hands and opened it.
Hermione Granger,
You had better not be laughing at this petition. You should know that I bloody well do not under any circumstances want to be married to you anymore than you to me. If you'd like to know, I heard of some Death Eater's plans for petitioning for you... my bloody father's. Ever since my mother died he's been after such an opportunity to make Potter suffer and if he has to do it through you, then so be it. This is just an alternative in case I cannot find someone stupid enough to petition for you. As much as you may think, I'm not a completely sadistic bastard and I will not leave you (even if you are an insufferably idiotic mudblood) to my father.
Draco Malfoy.
As much as Hermione was stunned and her mind was whirling from the fact his father was going to petition for her, she couldn't help but think how amazingly considerate Draco was being... wait since when was he Draco... he's Malfoy. She told herself this frowning.
It was Sunday and she knew her parents were downstairs waiting for her, completely oblivious to her situation, even to the law that had been placed in the wizarding world, due to the increasing number of miscarriages and stillborn children of pureblood couples.
She hadn't thought the terrifying fact that any pureblood who wanted could petition for her, for Hermione Granger. Now that she did, she was in shock and wouldn't be able to get over it soon.
She suspected that if she hadn't been Harry Potter's best friend, she wouldn't even be known to these people, save Malfoy, who wouldn't have had to petition for her, as his father probably would not have had any interest in her otherwise, except of course he was still angry for her protecting Snape in the battle against him.
"Hermione!" her mother called, from downstairs, in her sweet innocent voice. Hermione's eyes darkened momentarily, but she quickly forced herself to stand and go downstairs. She couldn't let her loving parents think that there was anything wrong. She didn't think they could handle it if they knew what was really going on in Hermione's other life.
Hermione sucked in her breath, checked herself in the mirror and dropped Draco Malfoy's petition onto the desk with the others.
She composed herself ad walked downstairs into the kitchen.
"Are you sure you're okay, baby?" Mrs. Granger asked in her ever-loving voice.
"I'm fine mom," Hermione smiled brightly.
"It's those owls, I tell you. They've been at your window all night," her father exaggerated.
"I know, dad, but it is my eighteenth birthday. People want to wish me it," Hermione said, brushing it off.
"I didn't think your friends would actually wake you up in the middle of the night, just to send you your birthday congratulations," Mr. Granger said.
"They're just overly-eager I guess," Hermione shrugged it off, really not wanting to explain her situation just yet. Hermione sat at the table, grudgingly as her mother told her she wasn't allowed to help as she usually did. She sat and her mother placed a plate in front of her with two eggs and a piece of bacon in a smiley face on it, causing Hermione to giggle.
"Now I feel all grown up to eighteen mom," she said, laughing.
"Just trying to hold onto your childhood dear. I have missed so much of it," Mrs. Granger smiled, sadly.
"You didn't miss anything mom. I'm just the same Hermione you knew when I was little, except with more knowledge and less bush in my hair," Hermione laughed.
"You've grown so beautiful," Mrs. Granger sighed.
"Howard, how did we miss how beautiful our daughter became?" Mrs. Granger asked, sighing.
"Quite a woman isn't she," Howard smiled, embracing his daughter before they both went to their smiling plates.
Hermione felt almost sad as she ate the carefully arranged dish that even had hash browns around the edge to make hair. The little breakfast even had eyebrows.
They were talking about career ideas with Hermione, who seemed inclined to take a job in some kind of research field of magic... possibly potions. She had figured out in the last month of the term that she was actually quite good at it, since Snape had not once in his class said a word against her, or even given her a sharp look. She had become to think of him as a friend of hers, even though she knew he would never admit to being friends with her... ever.
They were halfway through their breakfast, Hermione explaining the difference to her parents between magical potions and the muggle type of potions. They learned that they could actually make potions if they wished as there must have been a recusant gene in both of them, which meant that there was enough magic deep down in them for them to make rudimentary potions, thought the more complicated ones required the touch of a true witch or wizard. She told them about her Potions Master, avoiding speaking of his personality at all, and just telling him of the boundless knowledge he seemed to know about potions, how she could never stump him with a question.
"He's always got an answer to every bloody thing I say," the sharp annoyance in her voice as she spoke, caught her parents by surprise, but before they could say anything about it, an owl swooped in through the open patio sliding door, causing the two muggles to jump.
Hermione gave them an apologetic look, and took the envelope that was tied to the owl's leg. She fed him a piece of buttered bread, which he ate greedily, before flying off.
"Odd, it's from the headmaster," Hermione muttered, dread twisting her stomach into knots. She opened it and read that it was a plea for her to get to Hogwarts immediately.
"Mum, dad, I'm sorry, but I have to get to Hogwarts," Hermione stood.
"But we still have all day," Mrs. Granger said.
"Mom, I was going to tell you both today, but I will come back and explain what is really going on in the wizarding world to you as soon as I can. For now, I just need the two of you to stay her. The house is protected and if anything happens, you know how to use floo and I'll get it connected to Hogwarts from here when I get there. If anything even slightly out of the ordinary happens, go to Hogwarts, okay?" Hermione said, quickly.
With that, Hermione pulled out her wand and tapped her own head. Her Hogwarts robes appeared on her, the Head Girl pin neatly in place. She disapperated just outside the forest and walked to a shed, where she took out a broom, shakily, and mounted it.
"Don't bother... you'll probably fall off anyway," said a smiling voice above her. It was Oliver Wood, she saw in awe. He lowered himself and held out a hand to her. "You were summoned to Albus as well, I see," Oliver said, calmly, holding out a hand to her. She put the broom back, gladly and took Oliver's hand reluctantly. He pulled her up and onto the broom easily and immediately took off.
Hermione grabbed him around the waist quickly and at his chuckle, she knew that was his intent in the first place. She scowled. She didn't know she was going to like the thought of people trying to seduce her left and right, due to that stupid law. None-the-less she clung to him like is she didn't she would plunge to her death and she probably would.
Beneath her she could see a few students mulling about. "Oliver, could you take me there to Harry?" Hermione asked quietly, pointing.
"Sorry, love, I'm on strict instructions to take you directly to Albus' office," Oliver stated, simply. "I think he had a stack of papers he wanted to speak with you about," Oliver said, but the fact didn't lighten her mood.
"Papers, what papers?" Hermione asked.
"I believe you received my... this morning," Oliver said.
"Yes, and I..." Hermione was cut off.
"Don't say anything until you read all the papers... they are those kind of papers," he said.
Hermione's jaw tightened and she suddenly became furious. "I'm starting to get pissed off," she stated. "People I don't even know have sent me things and also someone who hates my guts. What the hell is so special about me?" Hermione asked.
"Many things," Oliver whispered, deeply. Hermione looked at him in surprise, but he did not glance back at her.
They arrived in Albus' window in seconds and flew right in. Oliver helped her to steady herself on her feet very gentlemanly.
"Welcome Hermione!" Albus said, cheerfully. "Would you like a lemon drop?" he asked.
"No, I hate lemon drops," she said at the same time someone else in the room said, "she hates lemon drops." She looked over to smile at Ron and walked to him, hugging him.
"My god you have no idea how weird this day's been," she whispered into his ear, hugging him tightly. The only other person in the room was Snape, who she gave a very strange look.
"I heard you have some papers," Hermione turned around, sighing. Albus just nodded, pointed to a heap of papers on the couch. Hermione's brow furrowed.
Read and review. Come on, you read it, and if you're going to do that, you should at least review for it.