Chapter three: the difference between the minister and the sinister

Draco sat in an uncomfortable chair in front of the minister with his father sitting alongside him. He couldn't stand this whole situation, it just wasn't fair. Why his dad petitioned for him to marry Granger was one thing he couldn't understand. But the worst thing was that he gave his favourite owl to her as a wedding gift. He was planning on pleading temporary insanity if anyone ever questioned him on it. He let out a breathy laugh when he thought of what her face would've looked like when she got the letter. 'What are you laughing at Draco,' Lucius Malfoy silkily demanded. 'Nothing father. I was just thinking of something that happened at school a while ago.'

At this the minister looked up, 'Ahh, so you are still at school, Draco. Which means you will be returning with a wife, how lovely. I assume she goes to Hogwarts with you?' Lucius let out a malicious laugh, 'Really, Minister, you don't do your homework at all. You know who Draco is marrying. In fact you have probably met her a few of times. Hermione Granger.' The minister looked shocked, 'Did you say Hermione Granger? The best friend of Harry Potter? Well that certainly is impressive.' Draco and Lucius gave identical smirks, both thinking the minister was an incompetent fool. But both smirks were wiped off their faces when there was a hurried knock at the door. 'Well it would appear that Miss Granger has finally arrived,' Lucius remarked smoothly.

'We are so sorry Mr. Minister; we didn't get a chance to apparate because there were too many muggles around. But we're here now and that's all that matters, right?' Hermione stated quickly, looking more than a little flustered. She had come with Mr. Weasley after much deliberation about who was to accompany her. In the end they decided on Mr. Weasley seeing as he worked at the ministry. Hermione and Mr. Weasley sat down on Draco's right. I never noticed that Granger was actually good looking now. I guess when she changed her teeth in the second year it made a really big difference. Hermione had grown into her body and although her hair was still a heap on her head it suited her beautifully. She didn't wear makeup because she didn't believe in it and she looked better without it. Her clothes were plain but they didn't really matter.

'Now that you are both here, let's get to it,' the minister said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled over them, 'so you both understand the marriage law?' Four heads nodded, 'Well that makes things much easier for me. Young Mr. Malfoy here was the first to petition for your hand in marriage and so he is to be your husband, Miss Granger. OK, then. Now we think the wedding date should be for January the fourteenth, although I would have preferred it to be February for the romance but you would be in school at that time,' the minister gave an awkward titter, 'do you all agree?' Again, four nods, 'Well, that's all we need then. I shall see you on the fourteenth. Owl me when you find a nice venue.' The minister smiled at them and ushered them out of the room.

Lucius turned to Mr. Weasley and nodded, 'Well Arthur let us leave the two love birds to sort out some kind of an agreement.' Lucius smirked at his son and walked off just expecting that Mr. Weasley would follow. Hermione and Draco stood facing each other, both unsure of what to say. Why didn't I ever notice how pretty Granger had gotten? No, Draco, snap out of it. She's a mudblood and I'm only marrying her because father wanted me too. Just then Draco realised that Hermione was actually talking to him, '—the audacity of presuming that I wanted a bird I mean really Malfoy. You're not even listening to a word I'm saying, are you? Well?' Hermione stood there, hands on hips glaring at Draco. 'What did you say Mudblood? You know if I had thought you were going to talk to me like this I would never have wrote to the ministry in the first place,' Draco replied with a smirk on his face.

'Exactly, Malfoy, why did you want me in the first place? Why not choose someone like Parkinson or any other of those tramps that follow you around at school.' Hermione was really only fighting because of the fact that he called her a mudblood. It just wasn't fair; she was always discriminated against because of her blood even though blood is all the same in the end. Draco was stunned, how dare she talk to me like she's my equal, like she deserves my attention. Then, for unseemly reasons, Draco felt his body move towards Hermione and his head drop down closer to her mouth, 'Maybe I chose you because of what we could do. Maybe I chose you because of this.'

On that final word, he closed the distance between them and brought their lips together. This surprised him enormously, the fact that he was kissing a mudblood. But what shocked him even more was the fact that she was kissing him back.