A/N: Hi, here's the 2nd chapter! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Again, everything is J.K. Rowling's. These characters, settings and creations are hers!
A/N: So, I edited this chapter. I realized my story was a bit unrealistic the way it was before. So, here is a newer version of Chapter 2!
The next morning, and owl flew to their window. Hermione, being up before Draco, let it in. It squawked loudly.
"Granger, keep it down." he moaned, flipping over to face the wall.
She sighed and took the letter. It read:
Dear Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger,
Since you are part of the marriage law program, you are required to take a certain class every other day to ensure your marriage and parenthood goes well. This class is called MLP, for Marriage Law Practice. Your entire room will be attending the class together, Mondays at ten o'clock. Thank you.
Hermione groaned. MLP classes? Really?
"What is it, Granger?" Draco asked, getting up from bed and snatching the letter sleepily.
"Are they kidding?" he asked, falling back onto the bed.
"Unfortunately, not."
"Ugh!" he shouted with frustration.
"What?" she asked.
"You don't get it do you?" Draco asked her.
"Get what?"
"That my life is completely ruined!" he shouted.
"Your life is ruined?" Hermione asked hotly.
"Yes!" he screamed. "You're a burden I'm going to have to carry around forever! There's no breaking marriages in this world! I'll be bound to you forever!"
Hermione gasped. She didn't know that.
"And you to have the Malfoy heir! A mudblood! My child is going to be a half-blood! And the Malfoy's will be half-bloods forevermore!"
"Oh, and that's such a problem!" she shrieked sarcastically. "I have to marry a complete git that I hate more than anything else and be treated like crap all the time by him and his family!"
"You think I don't hate you?" he yelled.
"Not as much as I hate you! Trust me, no one could ever hate someone as much as I hate you!"
"I hate you more than everything!"
"I hate you the most!"
"Really, Granger? Because I couldn't hate more! I'm at maximum capacity for hating you! If I hate you more, I'll explode!"
"I wish that would happen!" she shouted. "I wish you would explode, disappear, die, whatever it takes to get me away from you!"
He took a deep breath and walked away from the fight.
"Coward." she muttered.
"Excuse me?" he asked, spinning around.
"Nothing." she smirked, walking towards her bed to get her clothes.
Before Draco could go in the bathroom, she rushed in, sighing. He really did hate her. And why not? She hated him like crazy. But it drove her mad that he hated her for one primary reason. That she was muggle born. She hated it when people judged her because of that. Why couldn't they look past it?
She got dressed for school and hurried out of the dorm. In the common room, Parvati, Ginny, Ron, Harry and Lavender were waiting for her.
"We haven't been waiting for long." Ginny assured her.
They all walked to their first class of the day, MLP. When they arrived, it was ten o'clock.
"Where are the rest of your classmates?" asked McGonagall.
"They're late." Ron said.
"I know that, Weasley." McGonagall said. "If they're five minutes more, they'll be getting detention."
Hermione smiled. They were six minutes more, actually. Blaise and Draco walked into the classroom like they owned it. The group laughed.
"Detention, boys. Tonight, at seven." McGonagall told them.
"But-" Blaise cut in.
"No excuses."
"My apologies, professor, but Granger took forever in the bathroom this morning." Draco commented.
Hermione gritted her teeth and glared at Draco. "Malfoy, I highly doubt that was the case. Miss Granger has never been late in her life." McGonagall said. "You, on the other hand…" McGonagall gave a small shrug. "Too many to count."
The class burst into laughter. McGonagall looked guilty. Draco looked furious, and sat down on a couch next to Blaise. Yes, the seats were couches.
"No, class, I need you to sit on a couch with your soon to be spouses." McGonagall instructed.
Draco gave a particularly loud groan when Blaise got up and Hermione took his seat. She glared at him once again. Everyone flipped seats.
"Much better." McGonagall said. "Now, to start off class, I would like you to get to know your partner by asking them questions. May I remind you that there is a piece of parchment writing down all you say between each other, but will not count for a grade."
Hermione turned to face Draco, who was lounging on the couch. "Uh, what's your favorite color?" she asked lamely.
"Are you always this annoying?" he wondered.
"I asked you first." she snapped.
"Fine, green."
"Typical Slytherin." she muttered.
"Oh, like yours isn't red."
"It isn't! My favorite color is blue, thanks for asking!"
"I didn't want to know." he told her.
McGonagall approached them and looked at the floating parchment. "Oh, dear, we have some work to do on you two." She left.
"What's your favorite food?" he asked her.
"Macaroni and cheese."
"What?" he asked.
"I wouldn't expect you to know what it is."
"I'm sorry I don't know of all the ridiculous muggle foods."
"I bet you don't even know one!"
"Yes. Macaroni and cheese."
"And what is it?"
"Some weird thing with cheese!"
"You're impossible."
"Am not. You are."
"Am not."
"Are to."
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
McGonagall came again. "You two are doing detention for me tomorrow night, like it or not."
Hermione sighed. "Thanks, Malfoy."
"Welcome, Granger."
McGonagall walked back. "And you two will call each other by your first name or else."
Draco groaned. Hermione crossed her arms. Soon, MLP was over. Draco and Hermione rushed away to opposite classes, extremely angry.
Ginny sighed at Harry and ran after Hermione. "Didn't go well?" she asked when she caught up to her.
"Not at all." Hermione reported.
"Hermione, I know you don't want to, but why can't you try and be nice to him?"
Meanwhile, Ron chased after Draco.
"Weasel." Draco sneered.
"Look, ferret, Hermione is one of my best friends. You're, unfortunately, going to have to marry her. So, I suggest you start treating her better, or else."
"Or else, what?" asked Draco.
"Your face is going to get smashed."
Draco said, "You don't scare me. Back off."
"I'm telling you, treat Hermione right. If you're going to be stuck with her for the rest of your life, it's best if you're not constantly arguing!" called Ron as he went back to catch up with Harry.
The words ran over in Draco's head. Stuck with her for the rest of your life, best if you're not constantly arguing. Ron did have a point. When they got married, would they continue to fight and yell? Would he live his life mad at something he couldn't change?
Hermione thought Ginny was making sense, but she didn't want to admit it. She should try and be nice to him, but where would it get her? Draco would always hate her, it didn't matter what she did. But it was worth a shot.
The Slytherins and Gryffindors had no more lessons together that day. Draco was first back to "The Malfoy's" room. He sat on his bed for a while, trying to think of ways to be a bit kinder. Not entirely; she had ruined his life. Soon, she burst in.
"Hello." Draco said, then winced. Yes, hello, sure, that's intelligent, hello.
"Uh, hi." she replied.
"Uh, Hermione," he said as she raised her eyebrows at the use of her first name. "I think we should try and be nice to each other."
"Thought of this all on your own, did you?" Hermione asked.
"Well, no, I had some help, but if we are going to be married, as much as I don't want it to happen, we should at least stop calling each other names and doing such childish things."
"Okay." Hermione said warily. "The password is still ferret."
"Fine." he mumbled.
He had tried to be nice, tried to reach an agreement, but the password was still that awful nickname. Ugh, she's never going to compromise, he thought.
"Just let me keep it that way until November. Then we can change it to mudblood or something." Hermione said, remembering Ginny's words.
"I don't want to change it to that." Draco said.
"You don't?"
"No, I guess I've found the term a bit rude." he said hastily.
"Oh, okay, then. What would you like the password to be?"
"Uh, I don't really care." he said dismissively.
"C'mon, we'll agree on one." Hermione cooed.
He laughed. "How about Buckbeak?"
"You remember his name." Hermione realized.
"Well, of course I do. How could I forget? He did break my arm."
"That's true. But you nearly got him executed."
"Nearly?" Draco asked. "What happened?"
"Oh, he just disappeared. Didn't your father tell you?"
"No, but I'm glad that hippogriff is okay. I started to feel a little guilty."
"Well, good thing we- I mean, someone, snuck him out of there."
"Yes." he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "Good thing."
"Uh, Draco," she said, his first name rolling off her tongue perfectly. She realized she had hardly ever said that name. "That was the first civilized conversation we've ever had."
"Huh," he said, thinking about it. "I guess it was."
The next day Hermione and Draco got along better. In classes, the didn't entirely acknowledge each other, in the halls, they completely ignored each other, in their room, they were moderately normal to one another. They were a long way from getting along as a married couple would, but they weren't constantly throwing insults at each other like before. It was progress.
Hermione thought it was good that Draco thought they should get along. Okay, Harry, Ron or even Blaise might've said something to convince him of that, but Ginny had said something to her to get her to think straight. Maybe that was what they needed. Some encouragement.
"C'mon!" Draco yelled, knocking on the bathroom door. "We've got detention in ten minutes!"
Hermione flung open the door, her hair curly and wet, herself in a bathrobe. "I totally forgot about detention! Thanks!" she offered, exiting the bathroom, letting him moan and enter it.
She quickly changed into her robes, then magically dried her hair. It was still a bit frizzy, but she hardly had time to fix it.
Her eyes widened when Draco came out of the bathroom. He, again, wasn't wearing a top, and the sight of him was driving Hermione crazy. His platinum blonde hair was wet and messily hanging. Hermione tried to look away.
After Draco had put on a shirt, they both silently walked to McGonagall's classroom, hardly exchanging glances. McGonagall was sitting at her desk.
"Oh, hello, you two." she said. "Tonight, will be grading papers. I have special quills so you cannot change any grades. I will not be supervising, unfortunately, I have business elsewhere in the castle. But I will know if you do not behave, or if you cheat. Go ahead, then." McGonagall said, leaving.
Hermione approached the table. There were seven piles, for each grade.
"I'll take seventh year." Draco said smugly, snatching the papers, and sitting at a desk, beginning to grade.
Hermione grabbed sixth year, and sat next to him. She could see that the sixth years were very good at Transfiguration. She saw Ginny's paper and smiled when Ginny got high marks. Ginny had always been a good student.
Draco groaned suddenly. Hermione looked over at the paper he was looking at, and grinned as he shoved it towards her.
"Higher marks than me again!" he complained.
She looked over at his paper. "C'mon, they're not that far apart!"
"Still." he whined.
Hermione laughed.
"It's not funny." Draco said dramatically.
"Sorry." she mumbled.
"It's just that you've always beaten me in school." Draco said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I go up to the teachers and ask who got the highest marks from that day. It's always you."
"Well, it's not my fault I get high marks." Hermione scoffed.
"I guess not." he shrugged.
"And, you shouldn't go up to the teachers and ask. Just feel confident in yourself that you did well and stop trying to live up to other people's standards."
"You're right, of course." he sighed.
She just smiled. They sat in silence the rest of their detention, grading. McGonagall came back to let them go soon enough. Hermione thought it was a better punishment than her one in first year. Draco agreed.
The next day went by quickly. The day after that, though, dragged on. In the morning, the Slytherins and Gryffindors had Double Potions with Snape.
"Turn to page six hundred forty two, where you will find the potion you and your assigned group will be making for a grade." Snape articulated, handing out sheets of parchment with the groups on them. Hermione sighed heavily when she saw her name, Draco's, Ron's and Pansy's.
Quickly, she and Ron (who were sitting next to each other), went to join Draco and Pansy.
"Mudblood." growled Pansy.
Draco shot her a mean look.
"Pug-face." countered Hermione, flipping her book to the assigned page.
"Okay, then." Draco said, trying to avoid a fight. "This potion looks easy enough to divide into four roles. Let's each choose a part."
There was much disagreement from Pansy, who thought that Hermione shouldn't get a role. When Pansy chose a role, Hermione chose one after, then Pansy would switch her role to Hermione's. Hermione happily switched, but Pansy kept switching, so the group hardly got anything done.
"I'm not impressed." Snape told them at the end of class. "Miss Granger, Weasley, detention. You will finish this potion and get it right."
"But, sir-" Draco interrupted.
"Malfoy, I assure you, they deserve it." Snape said slyly.
Ron groaned. Hermione was furious. Snape always picked on the Gryffindors, even after the war when he had revealed he was a good guy. It was so aggravating for Hermione. She was glad Draco had stuck up for her, but still angry, she stormed out of the classroom after class, not letting anyone talk to her.
Draco tried to catch her. He didn't know what he would've said, but he just felt the need to comfort her, like it was his fault. He couldn't catch up, but came up with an idea.
After Hermione left for detention that night, Draco snuck away to Room 1, where Luna answered the door.
"I'm looking for Pansy." Draco whispered.
"Pansy?" Luna asked. "But you're supposed to be getting married to Hermione."
"I'm not cheating!" protested Draco. "I actually need Pansy to help me with something for Hermione, but don't tell Pansy that." he hissed.
"Okay." Luna agreed distantly, disappearing back into the common room.
Pansy appeared only a moment later. "Yes, Draco?"
"Uh, Pansy, I just wanted to show you something." he fake-grinned, but Pansy didn't catch on.
"Okay!" she replied, giggling.
Draco took her arm and walked down to the dungeons. Pansy looked confused, but didn't say anything. Soon, they walked into the Potions classroom to see a very frustrated Hermione and a sleepy Ron.
Snape looked up. "Yes, Malfoy, Miss Parkinson?" Snape asked.
Hermione looked up as well, and gave a grateful smile.
"We're here to help, since we're part of the reason the potion was not finished." Draco announced.
"Malfoy, I-"
But it was too late. Draco dragged Pansy over to the table, and sat down next to Hermione.
"You didn't have to-" she said, flustered, but still smiling.
"Yes I did." he replied, looking at the instructions of the potion.
It didn't take much longer for the potion to be finished, and correct. Snape was obviously mad, but let them go when it was done perfectly.
"Thanks, Draco." Hermione said as they walked back to Room 2 together. Ron had been asked to escort Pansy to her room, much to both of their displeasure.
"Isn't that what forced marriage partners are for?" he asked, grinning slightly, realizing how idiotic he was being.
He couldn't let her know it secretly made him upset when Snape assigned Hermione to finish the potion and not him, too. Inside, he felt guilty. The old him would've laughed, but the new him was a bit more sympathetic, maybe because Voldemort was gone. Maybe that evil part of him had died along with the Dark Lord.
Yet, he still felt upset about his marriage. He honestly didn't want to be married yet, and to all people, Hermione. They weren't similar even if she wasn't as awful as he thought. She wasn't bad all the time, not always insulting, but in his mind, she was still a muggle born, no matter what term he used.
Hermione was also hesitant. She was so happy Draco had come to help, but why did it matter? They were going to be married, bound for life, and yet, he was still Draco Malfoy, the boy who had teased her, bullied her, hexed her, in her eyes.
That night they both slept rather restlessly.
A/N: Please review!