Chapter 2

The Unbreakable Vow

Draco's eyes swept over the prisoners, his presence causing hisses from all of them. Words like traitor were whispered but quickly quieted as he glared in their direction. He was unlike Hermione, who had pulled her cloak tight around her small frame, hoping to not be recognized. Draco, on the other hand, was very much open to the idea of leering into the face of every wizard and witch he had put behind bars.

Sooner than Hermione could imagine, they stopped in front of the prison in which Lucius Malfoy was laying. He was leaning against the back wall, his head resting against the stone.

Hermione heard Draco's sharp in-take of breath.

So did Lucius, because at the exact moment, he turned around and met his sons eyes.

Hermione stared at the pair, her breath falling short. They were the exact same height, Draco stood tall with his shoulders back, and Mr. Malfoy soon brought himself to the same position. It was like a mirror image, except that Draco's hair still fell into his eyes slightly. He had short hair while his fathers was tied back.

Lucius Malfoy walked across the small expanse of his cell and came toe to toe with his son, the bars between them. His eye flared with happiness, and he even smiled, as Draco nodded at him.

"You moved up the date" Draco finally said, his voice echoing as every prisoner listened to their conversation.

"Yes, I did" Lucius nodded.

"You shouldn't have done that, I'm working on an appeal," Draco's cool front finally broke as his eye begged with his father.

"Nonsense, Draco. They want me dead. I was He-Who-Must.."

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Voldemort," Hermione boldly interrupted. Draco's father smirked at her slightly.

"Well, anyway, I was the Lords right hand man, they will never appeal my case."

"Bloody hell, father, I needed just this week, they would listen, I can get them to listen."

"Draco, do not put your job and your life in jeopardy for the likes of me, I have already made your life hard enough." Lucius pleaded with his son and Draco shook his head.

"No. Father you do not deserve this. You know it, and I know it. You were protecting your family…"

"…and I was killing other families, Draco. That is not forgivable."

"You had no choice." Draco's voice was strong. "He would have killed us all, mum, Bellatrix, and myself."

"It does not change what I have done."

"I know that, of course I know this, but you…"

"I was in the wrong." Lucius said.

"You were doing what you thought was necessary to protect the ones you loved, if I did not misread your letter; that is what I gathered from it."

"No Draco, the point of my letter was for you to let go of all the old teachings…"

"Father, I have long past let go of such tendencies. I work every single day next to a muggleborn, a female who is very headstrong and speaks when not spoken too. A women, who, every single day, challenges me. That does not mean I will ever break our bloodline."

"I want you too."

"Why?" Draco's eyes had narrowed.

"Because being pureblooded, we represent everything he wanted." Lucius whispered, his eyes meeting Draco's.

Hermione followed the conversation, trying her best not too. She glanced around the room as if to give the two men privacy, although she heard every word. She glanced into the prison next to Mr. Malfoy and found wizard looking at her with a look of lust. She narrowed her eyes in disgust.

"You are a pretty little thing." He whispered, eying Hermione head to toe.

"You would do best to keep your eyes averted." Draco suddenly hissed, turning on the wizard.

"Draco, talk to your father, I'm capable." Hermione nodded at him. Draco looked at her and nodded, turning back to her conversation.

"Protective, the son of Malfoy," the man said.

"I do not need his protection. Keep your eyes on my face, before I rearrange yours." Hermione glared.

"Draco! You are not listening to me," Lucius' voice broke through Hermione's concentration and she tried very hard not to listen to the conversation unfolding.

"I do not understand why you want to change EVERYTHING that you were so proud of, dad. What happened to you? You WANT me to marry a muggleborn, or even a MUGGLE." Draco shook his head, staring in disbelief at his father. "You must be sick."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, you will listen to me. I am not unwell, besides the constant presence of dementors. You need to let go of all prejudice. I want you to marry for love, my son. Let nothing fall short of it, I want you to be happy. To have a fine young woman who makes you smile at the end of the day, who will give you children whom you can love with all your heart. I want no darkness in your life."

"Darkness never leaves one alone."

"No, but even the deepest of shadows can be contained." Lucius said.

"I am not here to argue with you."

"To right you are not. You will listen to me, as it is my last request."

"Dad.."

"No buts, Ms. Granger, please come here."

Hermione startled at her name but turned towards Lucius. Her eyes hit his as he smiled softly at her. Then she looked at Draco, he looked stressed, angry, and he was looking at her as if he'd forgotten she was there. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"I want you to grab my hand." Hermione arched an eyebrow, and then looked to Draco, who nodded.

Hermione stepped closer, and grab Mr. Malfoy's hand.

"Draco, I want you to perform the unbreakable vow." Lucius said.

"What? No. I will not. I refuse to put Hermione…"

"You will do it." Lucius glared. Draco sighed.

"What did you promise him?" Draco asked.

"Nothing I can't handle, go ahead" Hermione nodded. She knew what this was about. She moved her hand from Mr. Malfoy's to his forearm. Draco circled his wand, muttering the incantation, she watched as the light circled their wrists.

"Do you, Hermione Granger, agree to keep your end of the bargain, my dying wish, no matter the circumstances?"

"I agree."

"Do you promise to go out of your way to make sure that he is happy in the end?"

"I swear."

"Miss Granger, do you promise me, that you will succeed in giving Draco his final letter from me, in the exact conditions that I stated." Lucius asked.

Hermione swallowed. If she agreed to this, it meant she would end up marrying Draco. She bit her lip, she'd die if she didn't. Her eyes landed on Draco, his wand pointed at their hands, his eyes boring into hers, a million questions hiding. He stared at her, seeing deep into her soul.

As she looked deeper into his eyes, she saw deep into his soul. She saw the darkness, the light and the capability to love. The concern for her, the curiosity as to what she was agreeing too. The anger that radiated within him for not knowing what was being agreed upon, the fact, that she knew something that he didn't. The anger switched to anxiety, the worry of what she was getting into.

Instead of looking at Lucius when she made the final part of her promise, she stared into Draco's eyes, "I do." She whispered.

"Then I bind you, as your witness, to the unbreakable vow." Draco whispered, his eyes never leaving hers. Warmth went up her arm, through her body and when it left, she shivered and dropped Lucius' hand.

She wondered what Draco would say, if he knew, that he had just bound her to marry him or die trying.

She looked at Lucius, who smiled a sad smile.

"I will rest in peace because of you, Hermione." He smiled at her, a full blown smile.

"And if I fail?"

"He is not that stubborn, and you are exquisite."

"Excuse me, what the bloody hell did you two just agree on?" Draco's voice was filled with anger.

"You will find out in due time, Draco. Either that or Hermione will die." Lucius said.

Hermione leveled her eyes with Lucius, "I will not fail."

Draco stared between Hermione and his father. He was so angry, so worried, so confused. Hermione was looking at Lucius with complete understanding, a determined glint hitting her eyes that said she would not give up.

"I think we will be leaving now. I will push back the date for the kiss father..."

"Draco, don't. I'm ready." He nodded.

"But..."

"There is no hope son." Lucius said. Draco looked down, feeling defeat for the first time. It was true, no one would ever think to set Lucius free. He wanted to believe he could save his father. He truly wanted to believe it was true. "Draco…. I have always loved you… and your mother… so very much."

Draco stared at his father as he watched Hermione from the corner of his eye, turning away, pretending as if she didn't exist.

"I love you too, dad" He whispered, stepping forward and letting his father wrap him in a hug, with bars separating them. It was the first hug he'd had from his father since he was six years old. But the next words out of Lucius' mouth made Draco stiffen in his arms and pull back and stare at his father in disbelief.

"She will die if you cannot learn to love her. She has promised to love you." It was a soft whisper.

"No." Draco shook his head.

"Yes Draco…" Lucius smirked at his son. "You will learn."

"How can this ever work out…"

"You will make it so… she will make it so." Lucius nodded at Hermione, who turned and looked back at them both, meeting Draco's eyes. His stomach tightened as he looked at her. She was beautiful but so very far out of his league, yet at the same time, so beneath him. "She will make a lovely Lady Malfoy."

"You have truly gone insane, father" Draco shook his head, "We despise each other."

"Yet, at the same time, she's the closest women you have in your life."

"You're mental."

"You're already in love with her, you're just blinded by prejudice." Lucius smiled.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to St. Mungo's?"

"Draco... don't fight her, let her make you love her… she will give you so much in return."

"She doesn't have a choice now."

"Yes. She had the choice in the beginning Draco. She could have refused, but she didn't… it makes you wonder, why she didn't refuse it altogether." Lucius sighed. "Draco, I must sleep, I have many things I want to think about before tomorrow comes."

"You will be missed." Draco said, coughing back the choke of tears.

"Thank you" Lucius whispered. Draco stared at his father and they stood silently staring at each other. Memorizing the others face. Every line, every crease, every intake of breath. Finally, Draco turned away and walked up beside Hermione who looked up into his eyes.

He stared down at her, confusion and anger in his stare, and underneath it all, sadness.

She didn't speak as they turned to walk away, with each step, his heart broke. He could hear his fathers shattered crying behind him. Draco tried his hardest to shake off his tears. One spilled over his eyes, blurring his vision, and he stopped, right beside the door that would lead them outside.

"He loves you" Hermione whispered. Draco looked down at the pretty but strong witch.

In that moment, he did what he knew best how to do, and that was find a distraction.

"You, have A LOT of explaining to do." She shifted backward at the glare that hit his eyes. He grabbed her arm and apparated them back to his office, where he backed her up against his office door, staring hard at her.

"I… Draco… I can…"

"You made an unbreakable vow…"

"Yes.."

"To love me…" He glared at her, he didn't know if he was angry or scared.

"Yes…"

"Hermione Granger… how could you be so stupid?"

"Excuse me" She quickly took offense to the belittling of her intellect.

"I am not Potter or Weasley. There is not a shred of light…"

"You, Draco Malfoy, are so very wrong. I know you. I work with you every day. I know what kind of man you are. Beneath all that hard tough exterior, there is a scared little boy." Hermione glared at him.

Draco stopped, amazed that she could read him. He backed away from her, lifting his hands from the door and staring at her.

"Get out." He whispered.

"Draco... I didn't…"

"Granger… please, please, don't make me yell at you. We have a very long road ahead of us if we're going to try to keep you alive. Let me think. Leave me. If you are going to love a man like me, start learning now. I need time, time away, time to think, to wonder what the hell you were thinking. I cannot do this with you here, just leave." Draco practically begged her.

Instead of turning and leaving, she advanced on him, as he stepped backward. He didn't stop until his back hit the wall behind him. Her eyes hit his and she glared at him.

"It is not impossible to fall in love with you, Draco Malfoy. So don't you dare make it that way! I'm going to break you, I'm going to make you spill every secret, every desire, I will make you bleed Draco. I'm going to make you love me so much, it will tear up your insides. So don't you dare push me away, I leave when I feel the need. I will speak when I wish to speak. I will fight when I want to fight. And I will learn to love you and I will make you propose to me, Draco Malfoy. Just face it, you're stuck with me. One day you will marry me. One day, I will be your wife. And one day, you will love having me in your life. That day may be far away, but it will happen. I will not die trying to make you love me. You will love me, mark my words." And with that, she walked out of his office.

Draco stood still for a moment, before grabbing the closest thing to him and hurling it at the wall. He watched the vase shatter to pieces and he sunk to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

Hermione had no idea what she had just gotten herself into.