I'm slightly ahead of schedule with my writing on this story, so I thought I would post a second chapter this week. There isn't much DM/HG interaction but in the coming chapters there will be more!
"Is 'Mione!" Ron said drunkenly as Hermione stepped out of the fire. "Harry! Mum... 's Mione."
Hermione gave Ron a worried look as he held up a glass of firewhiskey in greeting. She winced as some of it sloshed over the side of the glass and onto his pants. She pulled out her wand and waved away the spill. This seemed to amuse him and he giggled into his glass as he took another sip. Harry entered the room from the kitchen bringing with him the smell of cooking. He tried to take the glass from Ron's hand but Ron tucked it in close to his chest, shaking his head dramatically and muttering what sounded like "my Pansy shield". Harry just shook his head.
"Molly is cooking a Sunday lunch sized dinner for everyone. I think it's her way of coping with the news." He hugged Hermione. "She started after Ginny managed to get her to calm down and stop crying. She had hoped you and Ron would be paired."
"But we're not, Harry. 'S the ferret. 'Mione's going to have little ferrets." Ron made his fingers run along his leg. "Least Draco is better looking than Pansy. Nice cheekbones." Ron stared at his glass briefly before taking another sip. He seemed to be unaware of the reaction his comment had incited in his best friends. Despite the severity of the situation Harry turned to Hermione, his eyes wide with mirth.
"Hermione, I believe Ron just complimented Draco Malfoy's cheekbones." He was practically crying as he tried to keep his composure. Hermione had to look away from them both to stop herself from bursting into really must have been three sheets to the wind if he was complimenting Draco Malfoy, of all people. She watched as Harry darted from the room, his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.
"Where are you going, Harry?"
"To find Pig. I want to ask McGonagall if I can lend the pensieve."
"Don't you dare Harry Potter! Your friend is having a hard enough time as it is! He doesn't need to relive this!" Her words fell on deaf ears as Harry disappeared out the front door. Ron was massaging his own cheek bones, a contemplative look on his face. Hermione told him she would be in the kitchen should he need anything. She quietly slipped the bottle of firewhiskey off the table when he wasn't looking and disappeared to the kitchen.
Hermione wasn't sure if she needed to be more distressed by Ron or the scene that greeted her in the kitchen. Ginny sat with a glass of wine at the dining table, a forlorn look on her face, as a flushed Molly busied herself with cooking. The Weasley matriarch was so engrossed in a pot of white sauce that she hadn't even noticed her entrance. Hermione slipped next to Ginny, placing the firewhiskey on the table in front of her. Ginny gave a weak smile.
"Fantastic! You've brought something stronger with you." Hermione moved the bottle from her reach.
"I think the Weasleys have had enough to drink tonight. Your brother is so drunk he just complimented my future husband – seems to think he has, and I quote, 'nice cheekbones'."
"Can't wait to tell him he said that!" Ginny said, her mood lifting slightly. "Although mum probably won't find it as amusing. She's been in a right state since he got back from his meeting."
Ginny stopped speaking as Molly finally noticed Hermione. Her eyes were red from crying. Molly pulled her into a bone crushing embrace, Ginny huffing indignantly as she was shoved aside. Hermione began to feel slightly awkward as Molly prolonged the hug.
"Molly. Molly, I'm fine." The witch finally let go of her and she rubbed her side gingerly.
"Oh, Hermione, dear! I can't believe it! How could they? It's absurd!" She was talking more to herself than anyone else as she began setting the table with enormous amounts of food. Hermione gave Ginny a worried side glance.
"How many people are coming over Molly?"
"Oh, it's just Arthur and myself, Harry and Ginny, as well as Ron. You'll be staying won't you? I think a good meal will cheer you up." Hermione wasn't convinced the meal was for her benefit, but she simply nodded at Mrs Weasley's hopeful smile. "Delightful! You look like you need a good meal in you. You've gotten far too thin for my liking, dear. Don't you roll your eyes at me, Ginerva!"
"Mum you would think Harry's cousin was too thin for your liking!" She ducked to avoid the dishcloth Molly had thrown at her. She told Ginny to go fetch her father in from his tinkering shed for dinner. Ginny pulled out her wand and an enormous, silver horse erupted from its end. Molly scowled at her daughter as the horse trotted merrily away.
"Really, Ginny! Was that at all necessary?" Molly sent a roast chicken skidding across the table.
Hermione hurried to fetch Ron from the lounge, sensing the potential for a showdown between the two witches. Ron had disappeared from the room. She sighed as she started calling after him. When there was no answer she trudged up the stairs, checking through his siblings old rooms as she went. Eventually she found him in his boyhood room, standing on his bed, evidently having a conversation with the attic ghoul through the roof (the ghoul didn't seem at all interested in what he had to say as he drowned out every other word with a moan and the sound of banging). Hermione tried to pull Ron down but he just shrugged her off.
" 'M talking to the ghoul, 'Mione. Sis rude to interrupt."
"Dinner is ready."
Without a backwards glance Ron was off the bed and headed down the stairs.
Dinner was turning out to be an awkward affair. Molly had sat and sniffled to herself for most of it while Arthur and Harry had tried to make small talk. They desperately tried to avoid the topic of the new marriage law as if it was an erumpet horn. Watching Ron devour his third helping of food, Hermione couldn't help but think he would eat the horn as well if it had been on the menu. Arthur was just discussing how he had successfully taken apart a small muggle radio and reassembled it, (Hermione asked if it still worked. It did not. ) when a loud pecking at the kitchen window distracted them. Harry leaped up and took a letter from a rather stern looking owl. He attempted to offer the creature some treats but it took off before he could even finish asking. He returned to the table, unfolding the letter.
"It's from my lawyer confirming a lunch meeting tomorr-"
Harry was abruptly cut off by a wail from Mrs Weasley. She stood and hurried from the room. Arthur hurried out after her as an awkward silence descended between Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. Ron carried on eating, too drunk to notice what was going on. Ginny's nose wrinkled in disgust as Ron practically devoured an entire loaf of bread.
"I think I should go." Hermione stood. No one seemed to object. Harry nodded and confirmed the time and venue for their meeting the next day. "Ginny, please let your mother know everything will be fine. I'll see her this weekend; maybe go for lunch to cheer her up."
She patted Ron on his shoulder before disappearing from the kitchen. She could hear Arthur trying to comfort his wife as she gathered her things. Her head hung low as she apparated home.
"I can assure you Mr Potter, Miss Granger, there is no getting out of this." Harry's lawyer was a stern woman. She had a no nonsense air to her and Hermione could see why she had been a force to be reckoned with while she had been with the Ministry. She now worked privately for many of the wizarding world's oldest families and biggest celebrities.
"Are you sure, Agatha?" Harry asked, his voice strained with the panic Hermione was starting to feel. Up until the meeting the notion that she would be able to find a legal way out of the arranged marriage had kept her calm.
"Yes. I was the lead lawyer on the team that drew up this affair for the Ministry. Given that for nearly a century I have maintained a practically flawless record when it comes to drawing up contracts and laws, you can take that guarantee to the bank. Miss Granger will have no choice but to become Mrs Malfoy."
Harry gave Hermione a worried glance. At the words "Mrs Malfoy" she had let out a faint whimper. He gently put his hand on her leg, squeezing it reassuringly. It was a small gesture but it made Hermione feel much safer, much stronger. A waitress came over to the table and handed her a thick parchment envelope.
"This just arrived by owl for you, Miss Granger." She gave Hermione a small, shy smile and hurried off. Hermione turned the envelope over in her hand. It was addressed to her in bold sweeping letters. She opened it to find a marriage contract and a note from Draco – that was quick. Harry's lawyer took the contract immediately and began pouring over it. Hermione read through Draco's brief note.
Granger,
Sign and send back as soon as possible. I want to get this over and done with.
DM
Hermione scoffed angrily at the note – a "please" and "thank you" would have been appreciated. Evidently Draco had realised there would be no fighting this either. A small sound of surprise from Agatha drew her attention away from the note. The witch's eyebrows lifted higher the more she read. Hermione didn't want to know what would illicit that kind of reaction from such a usually composed woman.
"What is it? Or should I rather not ask?"
"There's nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. It's just there is a rather surprising clause in this marriage contract." Hermione and Harry gave each other nervous looks. Hermione didn't enjoy the idea of a surprise from a Malfoy.
"I used to work for the Malfoy's." Agatha continued, "I drew up the marriage contract for Lucius and Narcissa based on centuries worth of other contracts. This contract looks nothing like any of them. In fact, I would go as far as to speculate that Lucius and Narcissa had nothing to do with drawing it up."
Hermione wasn't sure how to take the information. Surely Lucius and Narcissa would have been involved? She would have thought that they would have wanted to ensure that she would get nothing from the marriage, being the unsuitable candidate that she was. She imagined that Lucius Malfoy would rather die than see his family's fortune in the hands of a muggle-born.
"Which clause is so surprising?" Harry asked. Evidently his curiosity had been peaked.
"Usually Malfoy marital contracts have incredibly strict infidelity clauses. This one… well perhaps you should read it." Agatha handed the contract to Hermione and pointed out the clause in question. Hermione took it and started reading. Harry craned his neck to get a view of what she was reading. She swotted him away and read the relevant parts aloud.
"… fidelity is not required by either party… any children born of an extra marital affair will not be considered heirs to the Malfoy fortune. They will, however, not be denied monetary support by any member of the Malfoy family."
Once she was done reading Hermione gave Agatha a frown. Of course Malfoy wouldn't want to be denied his enjoyment just because he was married. As much as she was annoyed by this she had to admit (only to herself) that the idea of having to sleep with no one but Malfoy for years was not the most appealing – especially since she intended to only engage in such activities only as was needed. She had her own needs.
"I'm surprised that he would offer to support any children you might have with someone else." Harry frowned as he took the contract from her. "Can you imagine Malfoy supporting a baby that was half Weasley?"
"Harry! Ron is going to be a married man!" She scowled and gave him a smack on the arm, "Besides, I highly doubt Pansy's contract will be quite as forgiving of indiscretions." She turned her attention back to Agatha and asked for her opinion on the contract.
"You should still read through it but I would sign it. He's been incredibly, and unexpectedly, generous. If you two get divorced after the children are born his custody suggestion is fair and the allotted amount for child maintenance is, to be honest, ridiculously high by normal standards. I have had to look over several marriage contracts since the pairings started and I can tell you now that many of the older pureblood families have not been so forthcoming with their time or money."
Hermione nodded. This was not what she had expected from the contract – old fashioned and strict, perhaps even a little draconian, but not fair and generous. She deflated slightly as the energy she had been building to fight this marriage agreement fizzled out. She made a mental note to owl Draco and meet him tomorrow for a brief discussion before they signed the contract. Hopefully by the end of the week everything would be sorted and they'd be married. She scoffed to herself. In a hurry to marry Draco Malfoy, there's something I never thought I would say. She knew it would probably take a while for her to get over the idea of what was happening but in the end she knew she would have to move through the next few years with grace and dignity, however difficult that may be.
