This is a flashback to the night before, or one part of it at least. It's pretty short, so I figured I'd post it early. Next chapter will be back in the lawyer's office!


"Come on, Hermione, don't be a chicken!" Parvati crowed, while the other girls giggled. "Drink up!" Why had Ginny invited Parvati again? She wasn't even in her year at Hogwarts!

"I think I've proved my courage more than enough this past year, Parvati. Whether I have one more drink or not is hardly going to have an impact on that," Hermione said, sighing. She was rather proud she managed to formulate that sentence, because no matter how sober she attempted to act, the truth was that she was well on her way to being drunk already. She wasn't exactly used to drinking, but she would be damned if the others discovered that.

"You might be very brave against Death Eaters," Tracey, one of Ginny's roommates at Hogwarts, said. "But when it comes to things like this: drinking, boys, having fun,... You're not very good at it, are you? I mean, how long did it take you to make Ron see you as an actual girl? And you two broke up after a few weeks of dating, what went wrong?"

"Tracey!" Ginny snapped. "Shut up!"

Hermione scowled at the girl and downed the shot, coming to the conclusion that despite her principles she wouldn't survive the evening sober. "I guess we just have different priorities, Tracey. Some of us want to save the world, while others have no greater ambition than being drunk and flirty as much as they possibly can."

"Bra-vo Granger," a male voice intruded in their conversation. "That was almost vindictive, I'm impressed."

The girls all turned around, surprised at seeing someone they knew in Vegas of all places. Blaise Zabini smiled charmingly and turned towards Ginny.

"I believe this is your night, Miss Weasley? Allow me to offer all of you ladies a drink, it's the least I can do."

The girls giggled. "Why, yes of course, Blaise," Tracey said, attempting to sound seductive. "Why don't you join us?"

"It would be my pleasure. I'm sure you don't mind if my friends come, too?"

"Are they single?" Lauren, a Ravenclaw from Ginny's year, asked bravely.

"That we are," Theodore Nott said, winking at the girl. It was only now that Hermione noticed the two men standing behind Blaise. Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy.

What an unpleasant surprise.

Malfoy seemed to agree with her train of thoughts if the scowl on his face was any indication. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, but Blaise practically pushed him in the booth next to where Hermione was seated and then sat down himself, which prevented Malfoy from making a quick escape. Hermione scooted as far away from him as she could, but the booth was rather narrow and she ended up squeezed between Luna and Malfoy, much too close for comfort.

"So, what brings you boys here?" Ginny asked, apparently drunk enough to forget to be angry at Malfoy. Damn her.

"Just celebrating our freedom," Blaise answered jovially. "Malfoy here just had his trial and was cleared off all charges."

"Oh, yes, I heard," Lauren said, batting her eyelashes at the blond. "I'm very glad the Wizengamot made such a wise decision."

Malfoy didn't even answer, too focused on drinking both his shot and Blaise's before the other boy could stop him.

If it had been anyone but Malfoy, Hermione would probably have been relieved to find someone who found this whole party (and Lauren) as distasteful as she did, however it was Malfoy, so all she felt was a general discomfort at his nearness.

"So, Ginny, if you don't mind me asking," Blaise said, after asking a waiter for another bottle of firewhiskey. "What makes you want to marry so soon? The War has only been over for a few months."

"Oh, Harry and I are only marrying in December. We just figured that we would do the bachelor party before school starts, because we won't have time for it before the wedding."

That was still early, Hermione thought. When Harry told her he had proposed, only a month after the Final Battle, she had been perplexed. Surely eighteen and nineteen was far too young to get married! But apparently marrying young was a common tradition in the wizarding world, and when she had seen how happy it made both Harry and Ginny she couldn't find it in her heart to voice her objections. She had no doubt that those two were meant for each other, so it didn't really matter when they got married, as long as they did.

"Hermione?" Luna said softly. "You're crushing me, would you mind moving a bit?" The girl had a point, Hermione practically sat in her lap in her attempt at touching as little of Malfoy as possible.

Draco had heard what Luna said, and smirked at Hermione. "Yeah, Granger, no need to be afraid. I won't bite... Unless you want me to, that is."

The Gryffindor stared at him in shock. Was Malfoy flirting with her? He must've been drunker than he looked. She quickly checked to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation, but everyone seemed to be rather occupied, thank Merlin.

"Not bloody likely." She quickly drank another glass, figuring she could use the liquid courage, and moved a little closer to him.

Just a little. A centimeter at the most. No need to get too cozy, he was an insufferable git after all.

Luna sighed deeply, realizing she wouldn't have any space to breathe for a little while at least, when suddenly Malfoy wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and forcefully dragged her closer to him.

"You're acting ridiculous, Granger," he whispered in her ear, and the feel of his breath on her neck caused a shiver to run up her spine. "You don't want to deprive the poor girl of oxygen now, do you?"

"Like you care."

"I don't, but Blaise will probably be rather cross if the party gets ruined because of a sudden death. And he is paying for everything, so I can't exactly afford to piss him of."

"Is that how he convinced you to join us? By threatening to cut you off?"

"Something like that," he said, his words slurred together.

Ah. Definitely drunker than he looked.

She giggled for some strange reason, because normally she never giggled, and if she would do so, certainly not at Malfoy of all people. "I think you've had enough," she told him, and in an act of unexpected bravery grabbed his glass from his hand and downed it in one go.

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her, surprised at her behavior.

"I believe there should be a saying about a pot and a kettle here somewhere, but at this point I can't recall what exactly it was."

He refilled both their glasses. "To the end of this terrible evening, the sooner the better," he said, and clinked his glass against hers. She chuckled at that.

"That's the most accurate toast I've heard all night."

She was so weirded out by the fact that she was having a civil conversation with her childhood-nemesis that she tried to distract herself by listening to what the others were talking about.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Tracey and Lauren were talking the most and had absolutely nothing interesting to say.

"I, for one, can't believe we still have to go to school!" Tracey complained loudly. "It all just seems so pointless after a war, you know?"

"I'd say it is pretty much pointless where she is concerned," Malfoy whispered, leaning too close to her in a typically drunken fashion. She found she didn't mind so much. If she ignored the stench of alcohol on his breath, he smelled rather good. Very manly. "No matter how much education she gets, I doubt she is going to get much smarter than this."

Hermione almost spit her drink out laughing. When she looked at him, he had a smug look on his face. "I knew you were a bitch deep down, Granger. Your little goody two-shoes act never fooled me."

"I can appreciate a joke, Malfoy. That hardly makes me evil."

That set the tone for the rest of the evening: She would try to listen to the conversation around the table, but every time someone (usually Tracey, Lauren or Parvati) said something stupid, Malfoy would murmur disparaging comments in her ear. Had she been sober and slightly less annoyed, she would have berated him for being so mean, but as it was she couldn't help laughing every single time.

She didn't even notice Luna leaving to go dancing with Ginny, Blaise and Padma, and didn't comment when Malfoy casually draped his arm around the back of her seat. Before long, they started to have an actual albeit drunken conversation, and when the rest of her party joined the bride to be on the dancefloor, the two of them remained at the table, still sitting very close to one another.

A little later, but too soon for Hermione's liking, Ginny came to drag her away.

"Dance with me, 'Mione!" the redhead shouted over the music. "I figured I would come and save you from the Ferret's company, although you two looked remarkably cozy."

"Yeah, he's not so bad when he's drunk," Hermione said, grasping the very pink-colored cocktail Ginny was holding and drinking it. "Hey, this is nice! I want one too!"

"I think you've had enough," Ginny giggled. "I've never seen you this out of control!"

"Oh don't be ridiculous! I'll go buy you one, Hermione, stay here!" Parvati said with a sly smile. Apparently she had made it her mission to get Hermione as drunk as possible this evening.

She came back with not one but two pink cocktails. "One is enough, thanks!" Hermione said, noting Ginny's disapproving look.

"Yeah, I bet you can't finish the other one anyway," Parvati said offhandedly.

"Excuse me? Of course I can!" Hermione said, and proved her point with a little too much enthusiasm.

Suddenly Lauren, Tracey and Padma were standing around her too, all with a gleeful look in their eyes.

"Hermione," Parvati said, enunciating dramatically. "I bet you can't make Malfoy kiss you."

The other girls giggled, even Ginny.

"Ow, 'Mione. I see my friends have so little trust in you, you really should prove them wrong."

Hermione was never one to back down from a challenge, even if that challenge was kissing Malfoy (although the thought wasn't as repulsive as it ought to have been. Oh well, she blamed it on the alcohol).

"Fine," she said and headed back to the table where Malfoy was still seated, talking with Theo. When she sat down next to Malfoy again, Theo smirked and excused himself. Good, that worked in her favor.

"Granger, missed me already?" he drawled.

Now normally Hermione would have devised some kind of plan, but her thoughts were a blurry mess and when his tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his lips, she grabbed his collar to drag him closer to her and enthusiastically kissed him.

He responded in kind, burying his hands in her hair and coaxing her mouth open. The kiss quickly grew in intensity.

"I can't breathe," Hermione panted when she tore her mouth from his. "I need some air." She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him outside. He didn't seem to mind, and as soon as they left the building he led her into an alley and started making out with her, pushing her up against the wall.

He left a trail of drunken kisses down her neck, and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her when he nibbled at her pulse-point.

This was getting out of hand, she thought, and in a desperate attempt to distract both him and herself she started talking.

"Did you know that the Muggle side of Vegas is far, far bigger than the wizarding side? Here, all we have are a few fancy hotels and clubs, but on the Muggle side there are plenty of places where you can gamble."

This last tidbit of information seemed to interest him somewhat, and he pulled back just enough to look at her.

"Gamble?"

She nodded. "Casino's. But those kind of games don't work amongst wizards, it's a bit too easy to cheat for us."

He hummed in understanding and started kissing her again.

"Did you know that they also have chapels that make it possible to get married instantly, and that sometimes total strangers get married on a drunken night?"

"There's one here too," Draco said at that. "One chapel. It's the place where pure-bloods elope to when they are trying to escape an arranged marriage."

"Arranged marriages? But... That can't possibly still be happening now!"

"It does, actually," said he, a frown marring his features. "It is common in all groups that value their blood. Most of the Sacred 28 from England still get married through an arrangement made by their parents."

It took a while for her drunken mind to make sense of what he was saying, but when she understood she was aghast.

"What about you?"

"My father made sure to draft a marriage contract before being carted off to Azkaban. I am to be married to Astoria Greengrass as soon as she is of age."

The look on his face made it clear that he was not at all fond of that idea.

"But surely there must be a way to anull the contract!"

"It's magically binding. I haven't put my signature on it yet, but the only thing that could possibly stop that is if I am married already."

"So can't you just divorce her?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious. She wasn't familiar with the pure-blooded traditions, and found herself very grateful to have grown up in a Muggle family.

"Nope. Marriages between pure-bloods are for life."

Hermione looked pensive. She was still exceptionally slow because of the alcohol, but she felt like there was a solution in his words.

"Yes!" she shouted out.

He jumped. "What?" he asked harshly.

"All you need to do," she said, waving her arms around enthusiastically and almost whacking him in the face in the process. "Is get married in that chapel, here, in a non-binding way, and then you don't have to sign the contract, and once it's null and void, you can divorce!"

It sounded brilliant, to her own ears, and it sounded like hope to Draco. Or maybe he just really wanted to shag her, and figured that a wedding night was a pretty sound way of making that happen.

They would never know what exactly their motives were, but they did head to the chapel, and they did get married. And that's how our story begins.


I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed. It's what keeps me going! Let me know what you think of this one!