Chapter Eight

The rest of Hermione's winter break went about as well as the first part of it had. Her father still wasn't speaking to her, and her mother only spoke to her until she remembered that Hermione was engaged. On top of everything, now Hermione doubted that she was making the right decision by getting married to Draco. If her visit to the Malfoys was any indication of what the rest of her life would be like then she wasn't interested in the least.

The day to return to Hogwarts couldn't come fast enough. Hermione's mother dropped her off at the train station and barely gave her a hug goodbye before getting back in the car. To make matters worse, Narcissa cornered Hermione the second she stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ and started demanding decisions about place settings. It was only just in time that Hermione managed to escape and find a moment's peace in the Head compartment.

"I've missed you," Draco said the second he stepped into the compartment. Hermione smiled faintly. She had missed him too, of course, but she was feeling so completely deflated she couldn't muster up the energy to be romantic. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and settled into the seat next to her.

"How was your Christmas? I didn't hear from you very often."

"It was alright," Hermione shrugged. "My parents still aren't happy with me."

"Oh," Draco said. "Maybe we should have introduced our parents," he mused, putting an arm around her. Hermione closed her eyes. She couldn't imagine anything worse.

"I don't think that would make anything better," she sighed.

"Oh, come on," Draco laughed. "My parents aren't that bad."

"It's not that," Hermione shook her head. "It's just that my parents are really upset about this. I think introducing them to your parents would have only made them angrier."

"But maybe if my parents could explain it," Draco suggested.

"Explain that You-Know-Who decided that you and I should get married and so they should be really happy?" Hermione demanded. "Gee, why don't I think that would have gone over well?"

"What is the matter with you?" Draco asked. "You're really out of line."

"Oh, yes, better discipline me, since that's your job and all," Hermione retorted. Draco's eyes grew wide, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he withdrew his arm and stared out the window.

No one spoke for the duration of the ride to Hogwarts. Draco didn't even look when Hermione changed into her school robes, he just kept his eyes focused on the scenery. When the train finally stopped he got to his feet and pulled their trunks down so they could be taken to the castle. Just as Hermione was about to leave the compartment, he spoke.

"I know you're having a hard time with this, Hermione, but marriage is all about compromise. You're going to have to learn to adapt if this is going to work," he said softly to the back of her head. Hermione didn't respond, but left him alone in the compartment with the two trunks.


"Hey, Hermione!" Ron's unmistakable voice came after her as she left the Great Hall the next morning. Hermione slowed her pace so that Ron and Harry could catch up with her.

"We missed you at dinner last night," Harry said. Hermione shrugged.

"Wasn't hungry, I guess," she said. "So how was your holiday?" Hermione asked brightly, hoping to change the subject. The trio rounded the corner and headed toward the potions classroom.

"It was alright, I guess," Ron said. "Same old sweater from Mum, as always."

"How was yours?" Harry demanded, not giving his answer first. Hermione took a deep breath. There wasn't enough time to explain everything that had happened over her break. Without having all the answers herself she didn't want to try to tell the boys about it. They would just worry.

"It was fine," she lied.

"How are the Malfoys?" Harry prompted, his voice flat. "Ginny mentioned you would be spending some time there over the break."

"Yes, I did visit. They're doing well, I suppose," Hermione shrugged. She shifted her books uncomfortably.

"Hermione, what did you do there?" Harry stopped walking and turned to face Hermione. "You were inside Lucius Malfoy's house for three days, you must have seen or heard something important."

"Yes, Harry, you're right," Hermione felt her chest tighten. "Lucius sat me down and discussed plainly all of his plans with You-Know-Who."

"Come on, Harry," Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Back off a little."

"No," Harry protested, shaking Ron loose. "I want to know the truth."

"What truth?" Hermione asked, incredulous. These were her two best friends in the world and they wanted to treat her like a common criminal? "What are you expecting me to say?"

"Hermione," It was Ron's turn. "Hermione, we know that You-Know-Who is the one responsible for your engagement to Draco."

"Yes, and?" Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could see exactly what they were getting at but she wanted to hear one of them say it first.

"We want to know if," Ron paused and glanced nervously at Harry. "Are you a, um," he looked around the hall to see if anyone was nearby.

"Did you get the Dark Mark, Hermione?" Harry demanded. Hermione shook her head. This was too much.

"No, I didn't," she said bitterly. Harry took her by the shoulders and pushed her against the nearest wall.

"I want to see," he insisted. Hermione's jaw dropped. "Show me!" he shouted. Tears sprang to Hermione's eyes as she pulled up her shirt sleeve to prove to Harry that she hadn't gotten the Dark Mark. When he saw that her arm was bare, Harry released Hermione and stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he said. Hermione shook her head.

"I understand," she said. "You don't trust me."

"It's not like that," Harry said softly. Hermione wiped furiously at her eyes which were now running over.

"Hey!" Draco had come around the corner. "What's the matter?" he asked, looking from Hermione to Harry and then to Ron. "What are you doing to my fiancée?"

"It was a misunderstanding," Harry said.

"I'm sure it was, Potter," Draco spat, pulling out his wand. Harry held his hands up.

"I mean it," he said. Draco placed the tip of his wand under Harry's chin.

"I don't believe you," he said. Hermione rubbed her eyes again and grabbed Draco's arm.

"Draco, don't," she insisted. "It's not important. Let's just go to class," she pleaded. Draco stared at Harry for a few more seconds and then dropped his arm. He put his other arm around Hermione protectively and waited for Harry and Ron to start walking again.

"Are you alright?" he asked once they were out of earshot. Hermione nodded.

"Its fine now," she lied. Draco sighed.

"If you say so," he said, taking his arm back. "Let me have your books," he insisted. Hermione handed him the stack she was carrying and followed him reluctantly to Potions class.

Unfortunately for Hermione, her tearstains were still evident when they reached the classroom which generated a lot of whispers among their classmates. This only proved that Narcissa had been right about people talking which made Hermione really frustrated.


The rest of the day dragged on and on for Hermione. Plus it seemed that all the teachers had assigned them three times as much homework as usual in the hopes of squeezing in everything they needed to cover before the N.E.W.T.S. Though she had already completed her transfiguration homework for the night, Hermione found herself unable to concentrate on the rest of her work. There was just so much on her mind that she wanted to focus on instead of schoolwork.

Hermione sighed and turned her attention from her Potions homework to the wedding dress sketches that had arrived by owl post that morning. Knowing full well that her decision was expected that day, Hermione had put off looking at them until the absolute last minute. She was sick of wedding plans, sick of her fiancé's bad attitude, and sick of her so-called friends not trusting her. But her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she couldn't avoid them any longer.

She pulled open the white paper wrapping to find three thick, black leather folders inside. Each one was embossed with the designer's seal in gold. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the first folder.

It was long, white, and simple, just as she had requested. Strapless, fitted to the waist and then a full skirt with a short train. There were no beads, no pearls, no embellishments, nothing. It was just what she had asked for and she felt immediately deflated. Now she understood why the designer had been so annoyed with her request. It wasn't the right dress. Hermione absently stroked the enclosed swatch of fabric for a moment before she closed the folder and set it aside.

The next folder contained what Hermione had feared. It was the designer's vision of what Hermione should wear for her wedding day and it was absolutely horrific. The dress was mermaid style - strapless, form-fitting to the knees with an exaggerated flare at the bottom. It was ruched along both sides and had an enormous train that came not from the skirt but began at the top of the back and was made of tulle, like an extra veil. Worse than the train were the embellishments the designer had added. At one shoulder there were two folded satin fan-shaped poufs that if Hermione understood the sketch properly would stand straight up, taller than Hermione. To make matters worse, the designer had chosen three colors for the dress - white, black, and shocking pink. Hermione slammed the folder shut and put it underneath the first folder.

She was almost afraid to open the last folder, but knew she had to see it. Taking a deep breath, Hermione closed her eyes and opened the folder. Her fingers met with thick, silky swatches of satin and a soft tulle. Slowly opening her eyes, Hermione breathed in sharply. She felt her stomach muscles unclench. This was the dress.

Strapless, the same silhouette as the first dress – tight to the waist and then a full skirt, this dress had a longer train. It was white satin with ivory colored tulle draped from the waist to one shoulder and then from that side of the waist over the skirt leaving some white showing on the opposite side. Delicate beads were clustered at the waist over the tulle and at the shoulder. It wasn't simple, but it wasn't over the top. Hermione slowly let out her breath and was surprised to find tears spilling from her eyes. For the first time since Draco's proposal, this actually felt real.

She closed the folder and hugged it to her chest. At first she tried to wipe her eyes as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks but after a little while she gave up and just let the tears come. It felt good to cry.

Behind her, the door to Draco's bedroom creaked open and the folders containing the dress sketches vanished instantly. Hermione gasped and turned around to see Draco standing behind her. He was at her side in an instant.

"What is going on?" he asked, taking her into his arms

"My dress," Hermione could barely get the words out. "I found my dress."

"Your wedding dress?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "But why are you crying?"

"It's just so perfect," Hermione sobbed. Draco stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder. She knew she owed him more of an explanation than she had given him, but she wasn't sure where to begin. It had been a while since she had felt so certain she was making the right choice that she wanted to hold onto that feeling for a few more minutes.

"Where is it?" Draco asked. Hermione looked up.

"The sketches were right here, but they disappeared when you came in the room. I don't know where they went," she said. Draco rolled his eyes.

"My mother really thought of everything," he said. "I'm sure she bewitched them so I wouldn't be able to see the dress before our wedding day."

"That's brilliant," Hermione said, her tears coming back. "Absolutely brilliant."

"Hermione, please," Draco said, pulling away from her. "Can we talk about what's going on?"

"Yes," Hermione agreed. She took a deep breath. "Just not right now," she said. Draco's brow furrowed. "I need some time to get my thoughts together."

"Well, how long will that take? I can wait," Draco offered. Hermione shook her head.

"I need a few days," she said.

"Things are that bad?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded. "Is this about Harry and Ron?"

"Partially," Hermione said. "But that's not everything."

"Is it something I've done?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head.

"We can't talk about this, Draco, I just need some time to sort it all out," she said. He looked hurt.

"Well, you know where to find me," Draco said, getting off the couch. Hermione watched him walk away and then turned back to face the fireplace. The instant Draco's door clicked shut the dress sketches reappeared. Hermione smiled to herself, in spite of everything, and opened the folder to look at her dress again. Was it really worth it?


Hermione went down to breakfast the next morning with almost no appetite. Her stomach felt tight and heavy, a sensation that didn't exactly lessen when several owls appeared with her mail. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she collected all the envelopes.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked quietly from the seat next to Hermione. Hermione forced herself to smile flatly.

"We should talk," she heard herself saying, though she had very much intended to assure Ginny that everything was just fine.

"I have a free period after breakfast," Ginny offered. Hermione nodded.

"Let me just take this stuff to my room, I'll meet you in the common room," She said, collecting her mail.

Across the Great Hall, Draco's eyes followed Hermione as she left the room. He closed his fist tighter around the tumbler in his hand and set it down on the table with a resounding whack. Several of his housemates turned to see what the noise was, but they quickly turned away when they made eye contact with Draco. From across the table, Blaise lifted his head casually.

"I'm losing her," Draco said, pushing the eggs around his plate with a fork. "I can feel it. She's pulling away from me and I have no idea why."

"Hmm," Blaise grunted. He observed the trail of syrup following Draco's fork. "Maybe you should have a talk with her."

"That's just it, she won't talk to me," Draco sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, it's not like she can call off the wedding," Blaise mused. Draco's eyes flashed. "I know that's not what you wanted, but maybe this will blow over once all of the wedding stuff is over with and you two can get back to being a disgustingly perfect couple again."

"Right," Draco tossed his fork down. Blaise sighed and reached an arm across the table to give his friend a comforting pat.

"You'll work it out, you always do," he said reassuringly as Daphne took the seat next to him.

"Trouble in paradise?" she cooed sweetly. Draco stared blankly at her as Blaise planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning, princess," Blaise said. Daphne smiled widely.

"Did you and Hermione have a fight?" she asked, looking hopeful. Draco studied her face before giving his answer.

"Not exactly," he replied. Daphne's face fell. "Maybe that's a question I should be asking you," he said. Her eyes narrowed.

"I know that I shouldn't say anything to you, of all people, about this, but I've just about had it up to here with Miss Muggle," Daphne exploded. "She spends all her time judging us for our beliefs but as soon as she gets her chance she's right in there ruining everything for people who have looked forward to this their entire lives," she spat. Draco glanced at Blaise for a translation, but Daphne was too fast.

"She stole my wedding date," Daphne hissed. A gasp went up from some of the younger Slytherin girls. Draco looked around, aware of his surroundings for the first time all morning, only to discover that most everyone was staring at them.

"I see," Draco said calmly. He got to his feet. "I'm sure it'll be alright. Blaise," he nodded to his friend before leaving the table. Daphne's eyes widened as he walked away and Draco felt slightly guilty that he was leaving Blaise alone with her, but at least he had a better idea of why Hermione was so stressed out.

Meanwhile in her bedroom, Hermione was quickly sorting through the stack of mail she had received that morning. Most everything was from Narcissa and had to do with the wedding plans. A small grey envelope caught Hermione's eye though, and she picked it up. The paper felt rough in her hands, a contrast to the beautiful wedding stationary she had been holding recently. There was no return address, but the writing looked familiar enough. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the envelope.

Dear Hermione,

I hope you can forgive me for the way I acted the past few weeks. Your father and I are struggling with the fact that you are almost an adult now. This engagement came as quite a shock to us, though it obviously shouldn't have. We had a lovely visit from Draco's parents last night and now that we've spoken I feel much better about the whole thing. Please accept my apologies for the way I reacted to your news.

Draco's mother was kind enough to fill me in on the details of the wedding you've planned so far. I'm sorry I've already missed out on so much, but I look forward to seeing your dress. Narcissa assures me that Christophe is the best.

Your father wants to know what business Draco's father is in. He didn't say, and we forgot to ask, but they've graciously offered to pay for everything so now we're curious. Is there some sort of magical stock market?

See you at Easter,

Love Mom

Hermione smiled in spite of herself as she refolded the letter. She was mad at Narcissa for interfering with her parents, but glad that her mother was finally acting like herself again. That was at least one less thing to worry about. She tossed the envelope on her desk with the rest of her mail and hurried up to Gryffindor Tower.

Ginny was waiting impatiently in the common room when Hermione arrived. She wasted no time dragging Hermione into her bedroom which was blissfully empty.

"Okay, spill," Ginny demanded. "Harry is convinced you've joined the Death Eaters and I've heard at least twenty rumors that say you're pregnant. So which one is it?"

"I'm pregnant?" Hermione repeated Ginny's words, confused. Ginny's jaw dropped. "No, I mean, neither one is true," Hermione clarified.

"I knew it," Ginny looked relieved. "So what's going on? I heard you were crying in Potions class yesterday, and then I heard you stole Daphne's wedding date because you were pregnant and needed to have the wedding as soon as school was out. It did sound a little bit like it could be true."

"Ginny, please," Hermione felt tears welling up. "I was crying in Potions because Harry accosted me and demanded to see my arms so he could be sure I haven't got the Dark Mark. He was a little bit too rough. And I didn't steal anyone's wedding date, Daphne's wedding is on the 30th, mine is the 24th."

"It is now," Ginny said as though it should have been obvious. "Daphne's was on the 24th but she had to move it because you scheduled your wedding for the same day."

"But Narcissa told Daphne's mother she got a save the date card from her," Hermione remembered. Ginny sighed and crossed the room to one of her roommate's desks. She pulled two black envelopes from the drawer and handed them to Hermione.

"That is Daphne's save the date card," Ginny said as Hermione pulled a red card from the first envelope. Hermione studied the information on the card. "The twenty-fourth day of June," Ginny said, as though quoting from memory. Hermione's jaw dropped. "Look at the other one," Ginny offered. Hermione found a green card inside the other envelope and her heart sank immediately.

"I can't look," she said, her mouth suddenly dry. She sat down hard on Ginny's bed while Ginny put the cards away.

"At least you picked a different font," Ginny said. Hermione stared at her. "Well, these things matter to some people."

"Ginny, don't you get it?" Hermione demanded. "I haven't picked anything but my dress."

"What?" Ginny's eyes widened and she sank to the bed next to Hermione.

"Things were great when I got to Draco's, because my parents had been so unbearable about the whole thing," Hermione said. "But then suddenly I couldn't do anything right. Narcissa found fault with everything I did. She even had clothes picked out for me because she didn't think any of mine were good enough," she explained. Hermione got to her feet and began pacing. "Why would she intentionally schedule my wedding for the same day as Daphne's? And why would Daphne reschedule? Couldn't she have just asked me to change my plans?"

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny sighed, looking up at her friend miserably. Hermione sat down again.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ginny," Hermione confessed, the tears spilling over at last. "I love him, I do, but I'm not cut out for this lifestyle. We went to that tea and no one even looked at me. It was like I didn't exist. And I have my very own house-elf. It's horrible. I'm beginning to think all the love in the world isn't enough to make this marriage work."

"Your mother wasn't happy for you?" Ginny asked. Hermione took a deep breath.

"She wasn't until Narcissa and Lucius went to visit. I can't even be trusted to handle my own parents!" Hermione lapsed into a fresh round of tears. Ginny gave her a hug.

"I'm sure it will get easier," Ginny said at last. Hermione wiped furiously at her cheeks.

"I'm not so sure," Hermione shook her head sadly.

"Well what does Draco think?" Ginny asked. Hermione turned away. "Hermione, have you talked to him about this?"

"Not exactly," Hermione admitted. "I just, can't right now. I have to figure out if I'm going to go through with it first." Ginny gasped.

"You're seriously thinking of calling it off?" her face was pale. Hermione took another deep breath.

"I know its bad, but better to call it off now before I get trapped in a marriage that doesn't work," Hermione reasoned. Ginny looked horrified.

"You can't break your engagement," she whispered finally. "Hermione, you'll be ostracized. Not to mention what You-Know-Who might do to you."

"I might as well be ostracized the way everyone treats me now," Hermione said glumly. Ginny shook her head violently.

"This is nothing," Ginny protested. "People you don't even know will hate you if you break your engagement. We take it very seriously, it's not something you can go into lightly. And even if that were okay, what about You-Know-Who? He would probably kill you."

"I don't know," Hermione sighed, thinking of his offer to let her join his army. Ginny studied her face.

"Do you think you'll have to take the Dark Mark?" she asked finally. Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know if that's a requirement for marrying Draco or not," she said. "But will I have a choice? If I can't break my engagement then I have to marry him. And If I have to get the Dark Mark to marry him…"

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny burst into tears and pulled her friend into another hug. "It can't come to that, it just can't."

"I guess I'll find out," Hermione said softly. She stood up. "I should get ready for class."


"Miss Granger, may I speak to you privately?" Professor McGonagall asked as Hermione and Draco were leaving Transfiguration later that afternoon. Draco gave Hermione a nod and left the room.

"Yes, Professor?" Hermione asked. Professor McGonagall took her glasses off and looked sharply at Hermione.

"I won't pretend I approve of your relationship with Draco Malfoy, Miss Granger, but I understand that you have made your decision and it is out of my hands," Professor McGonagall began. "However, I want you to know that if you decide yours is the wrong decision, you will always have protection from the Order. We can put you somewhere safe, where you'll be out of His reach."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said quietly, wondering if Ginny had already spoken to the old woman.

"If I ask you a question, will you be honest with me?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Of course," Hermione replied.

"Have you given any thought to becoming a DeathEater?" Professor McGonagall's question caught Hermione off guard.

"Not really," she said after a moment. Professor McGonagall's face fell. "What is it, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"I was hoping you would tell me you'd rather die than be one of His followers," she responded. "Because I don't think that's something you should have to give any thought to. I thought for you the answer would be obvious, but I can see now that I may have been wrong about you, Hermione Granger."