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I own nothing but the creativity.

Chapter Three

It was rather funny, watching everyone get their knickers in a twist. He had always known the Headmaster was daft and this new decree just aimed to prove it. People were acting as if arranged marriage was something new and un-heard of. Obviously none of them stopped to think of the pure bloods. None of them understood that for the wizard elite, arranged marriage was common place.

At least it used to be.

Draco sat in the Great Hall, mulling over everything as he often found himself doing. He remembered the days when the crowds would part and make way for his posse. He could remember the girls swooning at his affectionate gaze, even fighting over him. No one dared challenge him, other then Potter of course. And that's what had started it all.

Sure, Potter had saved the whole bloody world. He had killed the dark lord, and good riddance as far as Draco was concerned. At first it had been his father pressing everything on him. He was suppose to be the prince after all, the youth of the new revolution. Draco was sucked in by the promise of power the Dark Lord offered, and by the time he had realized how twisted and self centered that power was, it was too late. He had signed the oath, branding him as a Death Eater with the winding serpent on his arm. The dark mark, or as he saw it, his mark of shame.

It was fortunate for him, that during the war he had gone missing to the public eye. He had taken his mother and fled from his father and the Dark Lord. He wanted to take her away and run from his fate, and it was that decision turned out to be his saving grace.

When the trials were held, the Death Eater brand should have been enough to condemn him. But because so many were choosing to come forth and offer names, places, anything the ministry wanted in exchange for a sliver of redemption, it turned out that the mark alone wasn't enough to sentence you to life.

And then Potter stepped in. Everyone turned to their golden boy for answers, and as Potter could not verify that he had been anywhere in the final battles, he was reluctantly cleared of all charges and put on probation. The ministry would track every spell that left his wand for the next two years. Anything even resembling dark magic and he was to be shut away for all time.

So, his life was turned into this. The people who had favored the Dark Lord shunned him because he had changed sides in the final moments, and the followers of Potter and Dumbledore hated him for his choice to join in the first place. So where did that leave him?

Alone.

One thing that didn't seem the change was the public's fascination with him. He couldn't count the times he had flipped through the profit to find his picture captioned with some ridiculous claim of dark activities, or scandals. Luck for him, no one at school really seemed to care. There minds were made up a long time ago about him, and nothing he could do would ever change it. And after being the puppet for his father for so many years, he stopped caring.

Glancing down at his scarcely touched turkey breast and peas, he wondered if Dumbledore would be stupid enough to pair him with some poor little witch. It wasn't himself he was concerned about. He had come to terms with marrying someone he hardly liked or knew years ago as a child, but just think of what the woman would say. He couldn't imagine anyone would be very privy into marrying a former Death Eater.

Deciding that Dumbledore couldn't be that stupid, he was just about to stand from the table and make his valiant exit back to the dungeons when the headmaster himself cleared his throat in an obvious show to gather attention.

Sighing a little to himself, he settled back down and lazily rested his chin on his folded hands.

XxX

Hermione was just about to walk through the giant double doors and make her way to the common room when Dumbledore stood to make an announcement. He had cleared his throat to call for silence, but it honestly wasn't needed. The moment he stood before the head table everyone's eyes were glued to his every move.

She didn't bother to return to her seat, and instead simply stood in the middle of the entrance holding her breath and clutching her copy of 'The Practical Properties of Fairy Trinkets' so close to her that her knuckles were turning white.

"It has been brought to my attention" Dumbledore bellowed, slowly turning his head towards all four tables. He paused for whatever reason, taking a moment to smooth out his dark purple robes that had been charmed to turn shades of blue at the hems it seemed whenever it felt the need.

He began again a moment later, leveling his gaze on the student body once again. "The newly instated marriage law is causing quite a bit of anxiety, more than I had originally anticipated." there was a low snort at the head table at this comment, in the direction of Professor Snape, but if the headmaster heard it he chose not to show it.

"Now, tomorrow is the last day of the week, and as to avoid any more... needless worrying, I have decided to release the list a bit earlier than expected."

If a small a thing as a time turner dropped under one of the tables, even muffled by someone robes, you could have heard it. The Great Hall was stunned into silence and everyone's heart seems to skip several beats. We had all been preparing for the list release at dinner tomorrow, but that was tomorrow. It was still in the future and many students were banking their sanity on the sheer idea of it remaining 'in the future'.

But that had come to a halt.

His next words were, assuredly, going to go down in the next edition of 'Hogwarts, A History'.

Making a small smile at his students, Dumbledore opened his arms and took in a deep breath. "When you have finished you meals, and return to your rooms, those who are affected by the law will find an envelope among your things. I think you will find it has the information you seek."

For a few precious moments nothing happened. The air its self seemed to hold its breath. No one moved, no one breathed. And then, as if the flood gates had let loose, it happened.

Hermione only had time to register the large flock of students running her way for a brief second before she was knocked to the ground and ran over by hundreds of students. Hermione only counted nine pairs of feet colliding with her head before the pain turned into a dull thud and everything went black.

XxX

Draco watched in horror as the announcement was made and the pack of students went from being a room of silent statues to a hoard of blood thirsty Hippogriffs. The teachers moved immediately to help the students, and in three point five seconds the students had made it out of the great hall, leaving only the headmaster, professor Flitwick who had been to short to run with the rest of the staff, and himself.

Or at least he guessed as much.

Looking towards the entrance as he stood to gather himself in a much more professional manner than the rest of the school seemed to be able to muster, Draco noticed a student laying on the floor, being fussed over by professor Flitwick. Poor thing got caught in the rush it seemed, but served them right for being stupid enough to be standing in the way.

Walking towards the scene, he was a little miffed when he noticed the student in question was none other then the golden trios princess. Hermione Granger lay bloody and beaten on the ground, unconscious. Her golden brown hair was splayed around her, slightly tangled and drawn across her face. Her robes were ripped half off her, revealing her once pristine white blouse riding half way up her stomach. Her skirt was drawn up her legs, which were currently bent to the side in a rather uncomfortable looking position, and an ankle looked to be twisted.

He stood for a moment, staring at the girl he had hated form the moment they had met. She was half the reason he was sure Potter even succeed in the accomplishments he took credit for, surly not having the brain to figure everything out for himself. She may have been a mud bl- a muggle born, but he had to give credit where credit was due and the girl, well, woman was brilliant.

Trying to convince himself he was not staring at her legs, he made a move to walk past her and out into the hall when the Professor stopped him and implored him to help her to the hospital wing. He refused of course, claiming several reasons why he couldn't and several places he had to be at that exact moment, but none of them seem good enough and had no choice but to comply.

As he drew out his wand in an exaggerated gesture, hoping to drive home just how un-pleasant this was for him, he was stopped by the Professors squealing.

"Oh no no no no! You mustn't use your wand Mr. Malfoy, she is to unstable. I suspect her ankle to be broken and possibly a few ribs. You have to carry her the old fashion way. Up you go, hurry hurry! Im to short to!" he was practically jumping up and down where he stood, looking from the headmaster who had yet to move from his perch, to him, and down at Hermione in rapid succession.

It was there Draco drew the line, refusing to get her blood on his nice, clean robes. But alas, the Professor didn't seem to want to shut up until he did as asked. With a few muttered curses, he leaned down to pick the battered Hermione up.

"Slowly now, careful"! the professor pleaded, attempting to help lift her into his arms.

Draco eased her surprisingly light form into his arms and situated her until her knew he had a good grip on her. Look down at the Professor, he ignored the little mans voice and walked out of the Great Hall, glancing back as he rounded the corner just in time to see Dumbledore's eyes trailing him.

"Woman you owe me for this" he muttered to her still un-conscious form. Oh if his father could see him now.

He reached the hospital wing with little effort, and was greeted immediately. "Goodness, What in merlins beard happened? Oh never mind, lay her over here, good." she somehow managed to get out among her muttering's.

Draco did as she asked without complaint, wanting to get the feel of her against his chest out of his mind forever. He didn't know why but he had been slightly fascinated with the feel of her, and it bothered him to no end. She had whispered something on the way there, but it had been slurred and she had obviously not even noticed she had spoken for she remained totally limp in his arms.

Once she was situated in the hospital bed, Draco took the opportunity to slowly slip out of the hospital wing. The door shut quietly behind him and he walked a few paces down the hall before resting his back against one of the walls.

"This year is going to kill me." he muttered to himself, amused that he could survive a psycho maniac snake wizard bent on total wizarding genocide, and not one year of schooling.

Deciding the slytherin common room would be just to much to handle right now, he let his feet wonder the empty corridors and ended up in one of the various towers.

It was going to be a long night, and he had the feeling he would be spending the majority of it in the solitude of the tower.

XxX

there you go, not to much but its something :