I'm so excited about the response I'm getting! Thank you guys so much for the encouragement – I didn't think anybody would be interested!

I got a request to see Draco's reaction to his 'assigned life partner'. I've never written from his asshole-y point of view before, so don't be too harsh!
Hope everyone likes it!

"This has got to be a joke." Draco Malfoy spat, crumpling up his letter from the Ministry of Magic and throwing it angrily back at the poor house-elf who'd delivered it to him.

"Winky does not know, Master Malfoy." She squeaked nervously, picking up the ball of parchment and walking backwards out of the room, never turning her back on the seething man before her.

Draco shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his black dress pants and paced back-and-forth across the room for what seemed like an eternity. Draco almost found himself grateful that his father had been slain in the war – his reaction would have been exponentially worse than his own.

"Draco." A quiet voice said calmly from the doorway of the young Master Malfoy's study. He turned to see his mother standing there, her eyes full of worry and concern. She walked over to him quickly and quietly read the letter from the Ministry that Winky had passed on to her.

"Hermione Jean Granger, huh?" She asked politely, her voice never rising above a whisper.

"HERMIONE FUCKING JEAN GRANGER!" Draco exploded, ripping the parchment from his mother's delicate hands and tearing it to shreds.
He threw the pieces to the ground, pulled out his wand, and shouted "INCINDIO". He watched them burn to ashes, though he knew that it would not change what had been written. The Ministry had stuck him with a mudblood – one that he happened to particularly hate.

"Perhaps we should have her over for tea." Narcissa Malfoy said calmly, as though she had not just witnessed her son's outburst.

"PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE HER OVER FOR TEA?" He repeated, though he was not nearly as serene.
"Yes. Let's. Let's invite that bloody thing over for tea. I'm sure we'll get along splendidly and live happily ever after to the end of our days." Draco snarled.
His mother shrugged and turned towards the door. Before exiting, she took one last look at her son and exhaled.

"We have no connections to the Ministry anymore, Draco. This is it." And she left.

TWO DAYS LATER

"What is it, 'Mione?" Ron asked, looking concernedly at his friend who was sitting across the table clutching a letter, her knuckles white and her eyes wide.

"It's from Draco." She said plainly, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Her face gave her away where her voice hadn't.

"What's he want?" Ron asked, spraying bits of oatmeal across the table as he spoke. Classy.

"I've been invited over for tea." She replied.

"I thought those Malfoys only drank blood and fed on the souls of children." Harry snorted, coming around the corner into the dining area and sitting beside Hermione. He grabbed the letter from her and read it to himself, snorting when he came across things like "we would be delighted to have you over" and "we're most excited…" He handed the letter back to her and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, what can you do?" He said nonchalantly, resting his hands behind his head.

Hermione scoffed. "I could always die. I'm sure that would be just as enjoyable as being responsible for bringing another Malfoy into the world."

"Well you've got to go." Ron stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, Lavender and I already have a date set."

It had been the same day they all received their letters when the 'lovely' Lavender Brown visited the Burrow.

She had scuttled in excitedly, wrapping her arms around Ron as though they'd never broken up. "Oh, my Won-Won! I always knew we were meant to be together!" She'd exclaimed, her voice shrill enough to wake the dead.
Before the day was out, she and Ron had set a date for their wedding, a mere two months from now, and she set off to start planning. At least that would keep her occupied and out of the general vicinity…

"You and Lavender are very different than me and Draco, Ronald." Hermione said darkly, folding up the letter she'd received from Malfoy Manor.

She pulled out her wand and summoned a piece of parchment and a quill before writing out her reply.

"Are you going?" Harry asked, trying to peak over her arm at what she was writing.

Hermione sighed deeply and cast Harry a look of resignation. "Do I have a choice?"

TWO DAYS LATER

Hermione straightened out the front of her knee-length khaki pencil skirt as she stood in the foyer of the infamous Malfoy Manor. She eyed her reflection in a suit of armor to her left and tucked in her navy blue button-down blouse. She'd managed to smooth down her bushy curls into a tasteful half-updo and even put on a little bit of mascara. She knew Draco Malfoy would be even more unhappy about their match than she was and did her best to make herself presentable.

Winky knocked quietly on the open door of Draco's study, where he stood in a completely black three-piece suit. "Master's bride-to-be is here, sir." She said sheepishly, never making eye contact with him.

"Don't call it that!" Draco barked, smoothing his white-blonde hair back one last time before marching passed the house-elf and towards the entryway where Hermione stood waiting.

She heard his footsteps before she saw him and straightened immediately. This was it. They hadn't seen each other since the final battle at Hogwarts where he had disappeared with his family. Hermione had head that Lucious had been spotted and killed by a fellow death eater who had seen him running, while Draco and his mother managed to escape the scene.

Hermione turned once more to the suit of armor to make sure she hadn't sweated off any make-up and felt a jolt of electricity run through her when she heard Draco say her name. She was sure there was a sneer on that cold, hard face of his.
She turned to make eye contact and, sure enough, she had been correct.

His icy, steel-gray eyes bore into her wide, almond-colored ones and they were locked in an unspoken competition.

"Welcome back, Granger." He spat, both of them knowing full well that she was not welcome at all.

Hermione stared back at him and nodded sharply. The last time she had been in this home, Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco's now-deceased aunt, had tortured her mercilessly.
"It's lovely to see you again, Malfoy." She replied curtly, her hands forming tight fists at her sides.

"Please, dear," Draco jeered, "Call me 'Draco'. We are to be married, you know."

Hermione fought to control her breathing. She knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her. She couldn't let him know it was working.

"Of course, Draco." She replied smoothly, walking up to him and extended a hand.

Not one to be outdone, Draco took her hand in both of his and raised it to his lips.
They felt cold as ice against her warm skin.

Her breath caught in her throat and she felt sickened by his touch.

"Tea?" Draco asked, smirking condescendingly at her.

All Hermione could do was nod as she followed her future husband into a cavernous living area.

Her eyes landed on an elaborately laid out tea table with four place settings. Draco led her over to the table and pulled out a seat for her.
She noticed the tiny name-card sitting on a small plate in front of her and admired its delicate script. "Hermione Jean Granger", it read.

She looked at the setting to her left, which was labeled for Draco. Upon looking at the name-card to her right, Hermione all but lost consciousness.
Bellatrix Prosperina Lestrange.

Supposedly Molly killed her during the battle at Hogwarts – maybe not. Let me know what you think! Next chapter will be up soon. (: