Hermione came to about twenty minutes later, laying on the couch in the living room, a warm rag on her forehead with Harry by her side. Ron was sitting at the end of the couch, her feet in his lap. The rest of the family was scattered around various areas of the living room, all looking worriedly at her. She tried to sit up but the realization of what had happened hit her full force and she laid back down. She began to cry, "Please tell me it was a dream! Please tell me I am not engaged to Draco Malfoy!"
"It's complete bollocks too," Ron said from the end of the sofa. He began to absentmindedly rub her feet and Hermione felt some of the tension subside. "All three of us got screwed."
Hermione sat up slowly, making sure she wasn't dizzy anymore, and moved over next to Ron. Putting her arm around his shoulder, she said, "I have faith that you and Lavender will be very happy together. It may take some time but you loved her once, you can learn to love her again."
Ron looked at her sadly out of the corner of his eye and Hermione found it hard to tell what was going on inside his head. Just then, a large tawny owl landed on the window sill. Percy opened the window and was almost knocked down when the owl flew into the living room and perched on the top of the couch next to Hermione. Percy brought over a treat for the bird while she untied the letter from its leg.
The first thing she noticed was the tiny, elegant writing of her name in emerald green ink.
Hermione,
I assume you have been informed by now of our engagement and are probably just as shocked as I am. My mother and I would like to invite you over for tea this afternoon at 2 o'clock to begin discussing our marriage contract and wedding arrangements. I promise that we will not be inside the Manor for this meeting. We would also like for you to bring a representative of your choice to aide you in the contract negotiations. Send word back with Holly. She knows to wait for your response.
Yours,
Draco Malfoy
P.S. I know this is not what either of us would like to have happened, but I can promise you that I am not the man you once thought I was. I will do everything in my power to make this as easy as possible for both of us.
Hermione glanced up from the letter, noticing that everyone was staring at her expectantly. She read them all the letter (leaving out the postscript) and waited for everyone's input. There were shouts and cries. She could hardly understand what anyone was saying. She cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention and said, "I'm going. I might as well seeing as I'm going to be marrying him anyway. Arthur, would you mind going with me? I know it's a lot to ask, I just think I need the closest thing to a father that I have to be with me when I do this."
He eagerly agreed, saying, "I won't let them take advantage of my oldest baby girl. I will always be here to take care of you Hermione." He looked around at everyone else in the room who was nodding in agreement. "We all will."
Hermione stood to give Arthur a hug and then quietly walked into the kitchen to write her reply. After grabbing a quill from the holder on the counter, she sat down at the kitchen table, turned over the piece of parchment, and wrote her response to Draco.
Draco,
Thank you for the invitation to tea this afternoon. Mr. Arthur Weasley and I will arrive at 2 o'clock. See you soon.
Hermione Granger
Finally noticing that Holly had followed her into the kitchen and was perched on the counter in front of the window, she attached the parchment to her leg and the owl took off out of the window. Molly and Ginny joined her in the kitchen, then, and they all began making lunch for the rest of the family.
Molly started on the coleslaw while Ginny and Hermione made everyone a turkey sandwich. Grabbing a bag of chips, Hermione dumped them in a bowl on the center of the table. Molly went into the living room to get everyone for lunch while she and Ginny set everyone's plates at the table. Conversation was light and Hermione tried her best to stay involved and not think about the upcoming meeting that would decide how she spent the rest of her life.
At 2 o'clock, Hermione and Arthur stepped through the floo into Malfoy Manor. They were immediately greeted by a house elf who popped up as soon as they stepped from the hearth. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley. Please follow me to the courtyard. Mistress Narcissa and Master Draco are waiting for you in the garden."
As they passed through the corridor, Hermione kept her eyes glued to the back of the house elf's head. She shuddered as they passed by the drawing room and Arthur offered his arm for support. Hermione declined it saying, "Thanks Mr. Weasley, but I'm alright as long as I don't have to go in there."
They soon stepped out into the courtyard and headed for the table that was already set up just past it. The table was under a beautiful pavilion that had flowers and vines wrapped elegantly around every post. Narcissa and Draco both stood as they approached. Narcissa rounded the table and gave Hermione a well practiced, very polite hug and Draco shook Arthur's hand as they all greeted one another.
"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you for inviting us to your home. The garden is lovely," said Hermione as politely as possible as she let Draco push in her seat for her. Arthur had followed Narcissa around the table and pushed in her seat as well.
"Why thank you ever so much, dear. It was no problem at all. I was just so excited to get to properly meet my future daughter-in-law. Draco, here, used to talk about you all the time on his holidays away from school," said Narcissa sweetly.
Draco hid his smirk as he retorted, "Of course I did, Mother. She was an insufferable know it all and it drove me nutters how I could never seem to best her in any of my classes."
Hermione glared at her future husband but held her tongue. She didn't want to start an argument in front of his mother. Draco seemed disappointed that she didn't take the bait.
Narcissa replied sweetly, however, well aware of what her son was trying to do. "Now, now Draco, I'm quite certain there is a reason why our young Ms. Granger is referred to as the brightest witch of her age. Now, I promise we didn't invite you over for my son to insult you Ms. Granger. Why don't we get started while we wait for tea to be served."
They began discussing things like whose money would be used for what things. They decided that Hermione would begin helping Narcissa with her charity events. They even decided that they would not be living in the Manor after the wedding. However, when it came to her not working anymore, she put her foot down. "I will continue working for the Ministry and this is non-negotiable."
Draco sat his empty tea cup down and glared at her. "Merlin, you are insufferable," he said more to himself than to her, already exhausted from the days arguing.
"And you're a git," Hermione retorted.
Narcissa and Arthur glanced at each other. It was obvious to them that the charm hadn't lied. Narcissa broke up the argument with a smile on her face. "Hermione, dear, you will be able to decide whether or not you continue working unless a healer has given you strict orders to not do so. Does that sound agreeable?"
Hermione looked exhausted. She thought about what she was being offered for a minute before saying, "Yes, it does, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you."
"Wonderful!" Narcissa exclaimed, gathering up all her notes to give to the family lawyer to draw up the contract. "That looks to be everything."
"Not everything," said Hermione. Everyone looked at her, confused. Then she said, "When we have children, I want them to go to a muggle school, just like I did, before they begin at Hogwarts."
Just then, Lucius' voice boomed from the courtyard as he approached the table, making everyone jump at his sudden appearance. "Merlin, are you out of your mind? No Malfoy child has ever attended a muggle school and I will not allow it to start now."
"That's fine, Hermione," Draco agreed, his glare ice cold on his father. He certainly enjoyed this act of defiance, especially since it didn't matter to him where his children went to school so long as they went to Hogwarts when they got their letters.
"Draco, I forbid it," Lucius sneered at his son. He seemed determined to make him see reason.
"Fortunately, Father, that decision does not lie with you." He turned to Hermione and she caught sight of his steel grey eyes. Her breath caught and she hoped no one else noticed it. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss before Mother sends her notes over to the family lawyer?"
"No. I don't think so. That seems to be all," she replied nervously.
Draco rose from the table and offered Hermione his arm. "Let me walk you out." She took it and walked with him towards the house.
"I'll meet you at the Burrow, Hermione," Arthur called after her. "I'm going to go with Narcissa to the lawyer and I'll bring home a copy for you to look over and sign."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. And thank you, again, Mrs. Malfoy, for inviting us over this afternoon," Hermione said over her shoulder.
Draco spoke quietly, "I meant what I said in my note, Hermione. I'm not who I used to be. Since we have no choice but to spend the rest of our lives together, I am going to spend every day proving to you that I have changed."
Hermione felt her cheeks flush. She could already see that he was well on his way to doing just that. She couldn't help but think that this arrangement wouldn't be as bad as she had imagined it to be.
When they reached the fireplace, he sat her down on the iron bench across the corridor. She looked at him questioningly. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and kneeled down in front of her. When he opened the box, she gasped audibly. Inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. There was a solitaire, princess cut diamond set in a delicate white gold band, flanked by an emerald and a ruby on each side.
"Hermione, I know that right now we barely know each other and that neither of us imagined being in this situation, but I promise that I will never hurt you. I promise that I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am no longer that arrogant child I used to be. I will give you the life you and our future children deserve. Will you do me the great honor of being my wife and becoming the next Mrs. Malfoy?"
She looked up from the ring with tears in her eyes. "Yes, of course," she said shyly as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. It felt awkward on her hand but it looked absolutely beautiful.
He then sat down next to her, trying to make her feel more at ease. They made small talk for a few minutes before he turned the subject back to their engagement. "You know our engagement is sure to be in the Prophet by morning?"
"Yes, I know," she said timidly, hoping she would be able to avoid the media in this fiasco. Who was she kidding? She was going to marry Draco Malfoy! Of course the media would be a part of the whole process.
"Now I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, but I think we should send in our own announcement. You know, head them off. We can still take control of that part of this whole thing."
"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed.
"I will write up the announcement tonight and owl it to you for you to review. If you are alright with it, I will send it to the Prophet for the morning print."
"Alright. That sounds wonderful," she tried to hide her nervousness but her shaky voice betrayed her. Draco reached for her hand, rubbing small circles into her palm to calm her.
He stood up to walk her over to the fireplace. "I hope you enjoyed yourself this afternoon."
"I did. Thank you for having us over," she said, the smallest hint of a smile crossing her lips.
"It was my pleasure." He raised her hand in his and pressed a light kiss to the top, just above her engagement ring. She felt her face flush as bright as the rubies on her new adornment. She stared into his steel grey eyes and her stomach fluttered. "I'll see you soon, Hermione," he told her.
Taking a pinch of floo powder from the small silver cauldron hanging on a hook next to the fireplace, she replied, "See you soon, Draco," her voice still unsteady. Throwing the powder into the bottom of the fireplace, she dared another glance at Draco. As she turned to him, he bent down and placed a small kiss on her cheek before backing away. Blushing, she turned back to toward the green flames. She said, "the Burrow," and stepped into the fire that swept her away from her former enemy and back to the place she had begun to call home.
"Hermione, dear. You're home. How was tea?" Molly asked her as she entered the living room. "Where is Arthur?"
"It was fine. No major arguments broke out or anything. Except for when Lucius tried to interfere with the negotiations. Arthur stayed with Narcissa and is waiting for a final draft of the contract from their lawyer to bring home for me to review and sign." Hermione moved towards the stairs as she continued speaking. "I promise we will talk about it all at dinner but if you don't mind, I would like to take a nap. This afternoon has been exhausting."
"Of course, dear. Don't let me keep you. I'll send someone up to get you when supper's ready." Molly smiled sweetly at Hermione as she began climbing the stairs.
She headed up to the room she had been sharing with Ginny and laid down on her bed. Her head was spinning with all the new emotions coursing through her mind, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep