Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and settings you see here. I am not making any money from this work. This is for entertainment purposes only.
30 Days
….oOo….
Dragon hide boots shined to perfection, pressed Romildus Grancini suit under crisp dress robes, emerald cuff links, platinum and diamond bracelets to compliment the platinum signet ring on his right hand. Diamond band on his left. Fine blond hair parted cleanly and fair haired beard trimmed neatly. Tie the color of oxygenated blood rested lightly on his chest and it rose and fell with his even breathing. The man might be an ass but he had style to spare. Honey colored eyes followed his stride as he swaggered through the room greeting, kissing and shmoozing.
Silver eyes had long since located her, taking in her appearance as well. Very expensive Christian Loubruten stilettos lifted her four inches off the polished floor. Floating just above her calves, A fitted pale green satin slip dress, no bra? The little minx. Diamonds dripping from her neck, wrists, and ears complimented by the humongous emerald and diamond ring resting heavily on the third finger of her right hand. The hand that was currently caressing a flute of champagne poised just in front of her pouty pink lips. Silver met honey and he winked almost imperceptibly. She'd caught the gesture and pursed her lips. A kiss. He laughed quietly to himself and grabbed a flute from a floating tray.
"Mione you're driving these blokes insane. Everyone is staring at you. Even Malfoy" Ginny remarked as she came up beside her
"Well it really is a beautiful dress" she punctuated her answer with a shrug
"Are you here alone? Where's Ron?" Ginny peered around her shoulder
"You could guess as well as I could. He left me standing here about twenty minutes ago"
Ginny rolled her eyes, "You'd think he'd want to be around staking claim the way you're looking in that dress"
Hermione laughed a small tinkling laugh and shook her head gently "Ginny, Ron and I are friends and we'll stay that way. I've long abandoned my girlish dreams of redheaded children"
"But I wanted a sister" Ginny pouted playfully
"We are sisters Gin, always" Hermione gave Ginny's shoulder a reassuring squeeze "where's Harry"
"He's about to accept Malfoy's generous donation to the Auror Department" had Ginny rolled her eyes any harder they'd have fallen out of her head
"I think it's nice Gin" Hermione laughed
"Nice my arse, nothing about Malfoy is nice"
Hermione hid her smile behind her flute, there were a few very nice things about Mr. Draco Malfoy. She turned her attention to the raised platform where Draco and Narcissa Malfoy now stood, the latter holding a scroll.
"If I could have your attention please" his voice boomed courtesy of a sonorous charm "it is my mother's and I pleasure to present Pott" an elbow from his mother and the clearing of his throat preceded his correction "...Mr. Potter, head Auror for the Ministry of Magic, with a donation for the intended purpose of renovating the research and investigation labs"
The room erupted in clapping and congenial approval as Narcissa handed Harry the scroll and embraced him, to his surprise. Draco offered a handshake and a nod to his peer.
"Both the ministry and the Auror Department are very grateful to the Malfoy family for their generosity and we appreciate all you have done" Harry beamed into the crowd and awkwardly bowed. He was never good at public speaking. Hermione smiled and squeezed Ginny's hand.
"How'd I do?" Harry asked with a lopsided grin
"What hell did you bow for mate?" Ron's voice sounded over Ginny's shoulder
"Shut up you git" Ginny snapped "and where have you been?!"
"Sod off Ron. Was it okay Mione? I had no idea what to even say" Harry threw one arm over Hermione's shoulder
"Well said Harry" Hermione smiled
"Excuse me, Miss Granger?" a new voice entered the conversation drawing Hermione's attention away from Harry, Ginny, and Ron
"Well Mr. Malfoy to what do I owe the privilege of your attention?" She shrugged Harry's arm off of her shoulder and stepped toward Draco
"A dance if I may?" He extended his hand, long fingers curling over hers as she placed her hand in his
"I'll be right back guys" she tossed over her shoulder as Draco led her to the sparkling dance floor
"Your mother sure knows how to impress a crowd" Hermione commented as she fell in step with him
"Tell me Granger" he was looking somewhere over her head when he spoke, "are you trying to make me eat you?" he dropped his gaze to her face and she flushed pink right down to her feet
A tinkling laugh followed as if he had genuinely amused her, "of course not, Draco" she practically purred his name
"Someone must love you" he murmured glancing at her emerald ring
"You know I've never heard him say that" She furrowed her brow in an inquisitive expression
"Thats a shame" He shrugged and, as the song ended, dropped his hand from her waist, "thank you for the dance Granger"
"Always a pleasure Draco" She let her fingertips linger on his as she pulled away
"Oi Mione!" Ron was so obnoxious, she rolled her eyes and turned toward his voice, "we're leaving. Fancy a round at the Leaky?"
Ron came to stand before her, purposely ignoring Draco's presence. He shifted his weight as he held onto a clearly drunk Lavender Brown. She cut her eyes at Hermione but otherwise stayed quiet. Draco stood slightly behind her and she didn't have to look at him to know he wasn't thrilled with Ron's presence.
"I have an early morning tomorrow Ron, but thank you" Hermione smiled congenially as she declined
"You work too hard Mione" Ron took a step forward and pulled her in at the waist to press a kiss to her cheek then he pulled away and smiled at her, "see you later"
She could feel Draco's magic crackling behind her.
"Goodbye Ron, Lavender" she nodded to the witch who only huffed and turned up her nose as Ron dragged her away
She turned to face Draco, her thick curls bouncing off her shoulders as she moved.
"Granger" he warned leaning in to brush her earlobe with his lips "if you like your friends alive, I'd suggest you draw a line"
He pulled back and was about to speak once more when his mother's voice carried his name to his ears "Draco darling a moment?"
"You know I hate when you're late" Hermione, thankful for his mother's interruption, brushed past him, heading to the cloak room to retrieve her things.
After a round of goodbyes and thank you's Hermione had finally been freed of the Ministry's Fundraising Gala. Ever since the war ended these functions were endless and to be quite frank she was pretty tired of getting all dressed up to spend three hours in a room full of people she rarely ever even spoke to. Her position in the ministry was very low key, so low key in fact that her office was off in its own corner with no neighbors. The only reason she attended these things really was to support Harry and tonight he'd been a special guest at the Narcissa Malfoy sponsored event. She apparated just outside of her (wizarding) London flat and passed easily through the wards, one did not floo in a dress that cost as many galleons as this one did. A flick of her wand unlocked the door and she had barely pushed it open when her little kitten came skidding across the marble floors into her ankles. She'd just gotten the kitty and he couldn't quite get a grip on her slick flooring. She laughed and scooped him up to plant a soft kiss on his little pink nose.
"Have you behaved this evening Barnabas?" She cooed, earning a meow in response
She walked over to the plush area rug under her couches and set him down, at least there he'd gain some footing. She retreated to the bedroom and slipped out of her stilettos and her silk dress using her wand to place the dress back on a clothing rack next her wardrobe. She drew the curtains to the floor to ceiling windows and shrugged on her robe in preparation for her shower, afterward she opened the doors to the large ensuite and flicked her wand once more to start the tap. She'd lived in this flat for almost a year now and it still took her breath away. It was situated in a very posh area of wizarding London and was on the top floor with an amazing view. The living area and bedroom boasted floor to ceiling windows, the floors were exclusively white marble, black in the bedroom, and her furniture was from Italy. Down the hall from the bedroom was an office, a library, and a spare room with its own ensuite. She had never dreamed she'd be living in such decadence but she found that she enjoyed the amenities living like this came with. She had admittedly become a bit spoiled lately but she still worked hard to make a real difference in the wizarding world and was still as down to earth as she'd been before she'd dipped into the world of luxury. After she'd had a bath and she pulled her robe back on and made her way to the kitchen, she had started her kettle when she heard the door click open and the sound of dragon hide boots against the marble. He followed the same path as she did going straight to the bedroom to shed his formal clothing. She followed after filling her mug and stood in the doorway watching him. He turned his head acknowledging her presence and moved toward her, his intentions unclear.
"I'm getting very annoyed at the fact that I have to hide my wife" Oh great. He'd come home in a mood. No doubt because of Ron's too personal kiss on her cheek.
"Draco" she sighed "I don't like this anymore than you do but its really for the best" she set her mug down on her dressing table and crossed her arms over her chest
"Best for who Granger?" he tilted his head and studied her, "Who do your friends think that ring is from? Or the jewelry? Where do they think you live? Have you not tired of lying?"
She hesitated, "I may not…wear my ring…in front of them"
His eyes blazed like she'd lit a match in them, "Pardon me, what I thought I heard was that you were not wearing your wedding ring around your friends" he paused tapping his chin and looking up at the ceiling "Surely that is incorrect?" his gaze dropped directly to her eyes
"I'm sorry!" She deflated "You know I can't explain away any of the gifts you've given! You spend like a madman! & yes I'm tired of withholding information but no one will respect me or my work if they knew Draco! You know they wouldn't" Her arms were flailing wildly as she paced the bedroom
"Listen well Hermione because I am not going to repeat myself. You are my wife and since you are standing here I will assume you have not forgotten that fact. I am also going to assume you'll start governing yourself accordingly. Weasley's hands get that close your arse again and he'll be wanking off with his elbows"
"Draco, I am representing a client in a wizarding divorce. The first woman to present a divorce in our lifetime and she chose me cause I am strong, independent, and unmarried. I can win Draco but if anyone finds out that I am in fact married, to a member of the Sacred Twenty Eight no less, my credibility and her case are dead"
Her hands were resting on his forearms and her stomach pressed against his. Her eyes were pleading with him for understanding. Searching the storm clouds behind his pupils for any hint that he was going to let up.
"Wear your ring. I don't care what you tell them" He backed away from her and entered the ensuite closing the doors firmly in his wake
She wandered back to the living area and plopped on the soft leather of their sofa. She was going to ruin her marriage three months into it. She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity and blew a stray curl out of her face. Its not that she wanted to hide Draco, her beautiful new husband, but she had been working on this case long before his snarky face showed up at her office a year ago offering a donation to her department. She had politely declined but he was persistent. The damn man was everywhere! He'd worn her down until she'd accepted the far too generous donation and his invitation to dinner. Dinner, by the way, was in France. He'd spent the last sixteen months loving her so completely that she sometimes wasn't sure she was awake. They married in France, just the two of them, and the old wizard who bound them of course. Since then she'd been keeping them to herself because she really wasn't sure she could handle the blowback. Sensible, level headed attorney Hermione had secretly dated then run off and married an ex-Death Eater. Nothing about that was sensible or level headed and she supposed that had been the appeal at first. She was so tired of being boring old Hermione who couldn't keep a man interested to save her life, and all of a sudden here was a very attractive, very interested man who had eyes for her. That alone had put her over the moon. But Draco, oh Draco, was so loving, so protective, and so damn charming that she'd fallen in love before she had the chance to forbid her heart to do so.
He appeared at the edge of the hallway in his pajama bottoms, whether he had been standing there or had just walked up she didn't know.
"Come to bed wife" he said gently
She pushed herself off the sofa and padded over to him sheepishly
"I really am sorry husband" She raised up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips
"You're mine Mrs. Malfoy" He lifted her into his arms "I want Merlin himself to know that"
"I know and so do I. We go to trial in 30 days. 30 days. Please?" She pouted
"30 days and not one more" he conceded with a growl
Her tinkling laugh and bright smile were cut short as he tossed her onto the bed and covered her lips with his.
A/N: It took a great amount of self control to omit the smut from the end of this chapter but I'll save it for at least chapter two haha. Please review!