A/N: Wow! I have such eloquent reviewers! So many high quality, well thought-out reviews make me suuuuper happy! Thanks guys- you rock! Double upload day today!

I'm super busy with work this week (coming up to Christmas and Winter camp at a Hagwon in Korea. Rough times). So, no more double upload offers this week, since I am obsessive about editing the best I can before posting (though I still would LOVE reviews! Like, fo realz! It's not like I check my phone every hour or anything, desperately hoping to see the little number tick up... nope. Not I, said the cat).

...

We start to get a little more into "plot" territory here, though there is some nice Draco introspection.

...

Chapter 10: The First Day Back

The week went by quickly. Hermione used the time to explore, but didn't venture too far from her corner of the mansion. She did manage to find a few rooms that, she had to admit, could almost make this house livable for her. For example, one of the rooms in her wing was clearly a brewing room- there were cauldrons of various makes and models, and shelves of finished potions along the walls. She checked the dates- none of them were expired, so someone was clearly keeping their eyes on the stores. Hermione suspected House Elves, though she had yet to see any.

The potions room had a very well-stocked closet, too, and she could really see herself picking up potion-making as a hobby after Hogwarts. It was always something she enjoyed doing during her years at Hogwarts, even though their education on the subject had often been a stressful experience.

After a couple days, she managed to stumble upon a library that made her dizzy. She had opened the large double doors, expecting to find the ballroom from their reception, but instead had been met with rows and rows of tall dark polished wood bookshelves, filled with hundreds of tomes. It was certainly as big as their library at Hogwarts- at least, as far as the book-count went. In actual size, this library was far bigger and more open.

She did notice a few shelves that were oddly devoid of books, and Hermione could only imagine that books on dark magic had once held those spots, before Ministry raids. Of course, maybe she was just thinking the worst… but books on dark magic were hardly beyond her imagination for the Malfoys.

In any case, she spent most of the rest of her week away from Hogwarts in that library, and she found herself forgetting where she was quickly as she dug in.

Whenever she found herself hungry, she would return to the sun-room and find her meal carefully prepared, still warm and waiting for her. Again, she was certain House Elves were behind this, but she still couldn't find any. It would certainly take an army of them to keep this house clean, big as it was.

When the weekend was over, it was time to go back to school. She hadn't seen Narcissa or Draco since that awful first morning, and she didn't plan on seeing them now. She packed her trunk up neatly, and apparated herself to the front gates of Hogwarts as early in the morning as her ring would allow.

…

"Hermione!"

Ginny had been groggily making her way down the staircase from the girl's dorm when she saw the girl levitating her trunk in through the portrait of the fat lady. Ginny had planned on getting up early for this exact reason- she had hoped Hermione would come back at the earliest opportunity.

She ran the rest of the way down, flinging herself at Hermione and making her drop her trunk. As she did she yelled, "Why didn't you invite me too!?"

Hermione hugged her back. "Oh, Ginny, I'm so sorry. I just… didn't want to cause any fights."

Ginny shook her head, rolling her eyes. "So you chose to bring Harry?"

"Harry can be level-headed when he wants to be."

"Yes, but the minute he got back here he was in such a mood! He's been sulking around all week, kicking himself for not grabbing you and apparating the hell out of there."

Hermione sighed, and Ginny knew some part of her friend wished the same thing.

"Is everything… alright?" Ginny tried, leading Hermione to their usual spot by the fireplace. Hermione seemed a little tired, but otherwise her regular self. She was smiling happily at seeing Ginny, though her eyes didn't quite match her expression.

"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been a bit lonely this week… though I did manage to read through the most interesting book on theoretical transfiguration from 1890…"

Ginny smiled and shook her head. Either Hermione was putting on a brave front, or books really were far more interesting to her than her own troubles. "How did you get along with people… at that place?" Ginny tried. She wouldn't rest until she got the truth- Hermione didn't have a lot of girl-friends, and the boys certainly weren't going to make her fess up her feelings.

Hermione avoided her eyes, sending her trunk up to the top of the stairs on its own even as she sat lounging on the sofa. "I did have a bit of a row with both Malfoys, if you must know. Narcissa is every bit the manipulator her son tries to be."

Ginny's eyes widened, and curiosity caused her to pry further, despite the fact that Hermione was looking distinctly uncomfortable. "What happened!? What did she do?"

Hermione shook her head, sighing. "Ginny, I'd rather not get into it…"

Ginny folded her hands in her lap, biting her tongue. "Right. Sorry."

"No, I… oh, very well. She wanted me to break off the marriage contract with Draco as soon as possible, if you catch my drift."

Ginny gave her a blank look.

"You know… the only way one can apply for divorce?" she said irritably, looking sideways at the red headed girl. "Oh, Ginny, haven't you read any details of the Marriage Law?"

"To be honest, it didn't apply to me, so I only know what's been in the Prophet," Ginny said sheepishly. "But if there's a way to divorce that git, surely you'll take it?"

Hermione stared, and Ginny knew she had said the wrong thing. "No. The way out is to have a child, Ginny."

Ginny gasped. She supposed it should have been obvious- that was the point of the Law afterall, wasn't it? "Oh, Hermione. I'm sorry. I'm sure you made your feelings quite clear, right?" she added, her mischievous smile clearly indicating her knowledge of Hermione's skills at jinxes and curses when the situation called for it. They were almost as good as her own.

"I tried my best to politely tell her to 'screw off,' actually," Hermione said, mirroring Ginny's conspiratorial grin. "But if it comes up again I just might have to prove how serious I am. Truthfully, I didn't see either of them for most of the week. Hopefully I'll never have to come in contact with them again."

Ginny tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Then why didn't you just come back to Hogwarts? I mean, I know technically the week off was for people to get situated in their new households, but really… why do you have to live there?"

"The partner with the most assets is labeled 'Primary Provider.' Obviously, that's Draco. His house is where I have to live." She held up her hand, brandishing a very dull, plain silver ring.

"So, the ring keeps you from even leaving? Did he come back to school with you?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's a timed, object-attached portkey. The object in question is my husband's ring. If the ring senses I'm not within the same household as my husband on any given night, then at midnight it will pull me to him."

"Oh," Ginny said. It was all rather unfair- even in an arranged marriage, spouses didn't have to stay in the same house all the time. What if Hermione wanted to go on a trip? What if she wanted to stay the night at her parent's for Christmas? "I'm famished." Ginny declared, suddenly changing the subject to something less heavy. She could tell the conversation was starting to wear Hermione down. "Let's go find breakfast, shall we?"

Hermione smiled, nodding appreciatively. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

...

Draco was never much for introspection before the war. He never stopped to analyze his past actions, except when they came up in context. However, since the days of his family's fall from Voldemort's good graces, and the horrors that Draco bore witness to in his own home, he had often found himself second guessing many things about his life. He would look back and wonder, again and again, if he had really thought through most of the choices he had made in those days, and imagined what his life would have been like if he would have just changed a decision or two here and there.

The past week had given Draco an awful lot of time to think. At first, he was annoyed with Hermione. His mother's advice, afterall, had been sound. They could have been free of all of this, without even having to so much as touch each other again.

But after a day, he began to think about his initial misgivings on the subject. He had told his mother that even if he agreed to having a child with that disagreeable girl, there was no way she would submit to such an idea.

By the third day of his quiet time at home, he was even angrier with his mother. Hermione and him could maybe have, at the very least, become colleagues of sorts in this marriage of convenience. They could have managed to stand each others company, perhaps even had discussions now and then, if not for his mother's interference and the resulting argument. It wasn't something he had wanted at first… but having someone who could act as a companion would be better than having a bitter enemy roaming the halls. It was like there was an angry ghost down a corridor that was now forbidden to him. It made him uncomfortable in his own home.

Then, the fourth day rolled around. All alone, studying his Arithmancy book, it occurred to him that he was most angry with himself. He let himself be manipulated by his mother. Why couldn't he make his own decisions, even when he knew they were right? He knew- knew- that having a child with Hermione would be a very bad mistake. There was no way it would be anything but messy. The very idea, the more he thought about it, was morally reprehensible. What had he been thinking!?

By the time he returned to Hogwarts, he was a mess. Some voice in the back of his mind told him to apologize to Hermione, but what would be the point? They would never be friends, and he was certain he didn't want to face her. The classes they shared together for the rest of the school year would be torture, but afterwards he could just pretend that part of the house didn't exist… he'd have to use another room for potion making. Or just buy his potions from now on.

He groaned at his stressful thoughts, letting his heavy trunk drop to the foot of his bed with a loud angry "thunk!" Theodore Nott poked his head out of their shared bathroom, giving him a questioning stare.

"Fun week?" he asked, eyeing Draco's trunk. It had fallen at an angle, and Draco kicked it so it lay straight against his bed. So many of his fellow Slytherins were such damn neat freaks, and the loud noise he had made had obviously not been appreciated, either.

"Fantastic," he snapped back, stepping towards the door to the Common room.

"Hey, Draco, wait," Theo said, walking out of the bathroom and following Draco out into the empty common room. Everyone was surely at breakfast by now- it was why he had decided to come to school a little later. He wanted to be left alone.

Draco didn't respond, instead walking towards the exit. He'd go to breakfast- better to be pestered by a group of his classmates than by Theodore Nott alone. He had a bad feeling he knew where the conversation would go.

"Will you just listen a moment!" Theo said, jogging up to the door and blocking Draco's path to it. Draco frowned, squaring his shoulders and drawing himself to his full height. He attempted to look down his nose at Theo, giving him his best sneer.

"Get out of my way."

"Draco, come on now. We've been roommates for years- friends, even. I just need to talk to you about something important."

"About my marriage?" Draco asked bluntly. "I'm afraid that I can't help you with whatever it is you want, Theo. If you recall, I'm still on probation. As are you," he raised his eyebrows challengingly, daring Theo to deny it.

Draco knew what Theo wanted. Theo wanted Draco to join their little group of secret Death Eaters. He wanted Draco to hand over his new wife, and it wasn't the first time Draco had heard of it. His mother had talked with him some months ago about the Nott's involvement in the now withering Death Eaters, and even his father in Azkaban had written to specifically tell him not to get involved with them.

Like he needed to be told. The Malfoys didn't make a habit of choosing the side that would obviously lose, and the Death Eaters without Voldemort were just a revenge crusade, waiting to be caught by Aurors. It was a hopeless cause.

On top of that, Draco had made himself a solemn promise. That night, when his parents had found him in the crowd at the battle of Hogwarts… when he had watched Potter triumph over the Dark Lord in a way that was almost freaking poetic… he had made a vow to himself. Never again would he allow himself to be branded. He would never let hate define his life, because the results were just too crushing. There was too much weight on his soul already; he didn't need further association with torturers and murderers.

He was so tired, at such a young age.

Theo rose to the challenge, crossing his arms over his chest. "Draco, you know you are the only one with the power to help us now. We had a plan- I don't know why you petitioned for her, but you ruined that plan by doing so. I'm afraid that, this time, if you are not helping us, you're against us." His eyes flashed, and his voice lowered as he stepped a little closer. "You can help us - we're much better at keeping things quiet, these days. Nothing will be connected to your family. We just need access to her…"

Draco scoffed, trying to sidestep around Theo. Theo slammed an arm across the door, blocking Draco's path with a growl. "Listen- we will view your actions from now on in one of two ways: Either you give us the mudblood bitch, or you're protecting her. Which is it Draco? Will you really protect an enemy to the cause?"

"What cause?" Draco hissed, his hand resting on his hip close to his wand. "There is no cause, Theo. There's no need to hurt people anymore. So why are you still so interested in doing so? It's. Over."

"It is not over!" Theo yelled. "Not until my father can walk down the street again without the fear of arrest, not until people like us are not still thought of as criminals! Just because we lost a battle, does not mean we lost the war-"

"Yes it does! And either way, I'm not interested! I'm tired of this shit, and unless you plan on having a duel here in the common room, you had better move the hell out of my way."

Theo shook his head sadly, and with a great sigh, he stepped aside. "If that's your choice, so be it. Keep in mind: I won't ask you again."

"Great," Draco muttered, and walked quickly out the door, trying to ignore how his heart was racing. The minute the door shut behind him he ran, all bravado and pretenses of control gone.

If it came down to a duel with Theodore Knott, he couldn't be sure he would win. He might win, but it wasn't assured. And any situation where he might end up losing his life was one to run far away from.

…

Hermione dragged her feet on her way to Arithmancy. It was her third class of the day, and the only one she shared on Mondays with Draco. She knew NEWTS were coming up, and she had to focus once again on her studies. The Law library in the Room of Requirement was nothing more than a past excursion- she knew there was nothing left to be found there. It was too late to matter. Her task now was to pass all of her NEWTS with flying colors, which meant she couldn't risk missing even one more class.

Arithmancy was not the most exciting or popular class Hogwarts offered as an elective. The study of how numbers were integral in the inner workings of magic was above many student's heads, and the long complex homework number charts were enough to drive most potential students off. Almost the entire class was comprised of Ravenclaws, though there were four Slytherins, one Gryffindor, and a couple of Hufflepuffs thrown into the returning-seventh year mix.

Hermione arrived on time, but she could have kicked herself for not being early.

Draco was in the front row, and whenever Hermione had classes without her friends she preferred to sit close to the Professor. She sighed, taking a spot at the back reluctantly, noticing that several pairs of eyes gave her brief looks and turned to whisper to their neighbors, pointing to the front where Draco sat, his book open as if he were decidedly trying to ignore the room.

Hermione wasn't the only focus of attention, however. When Terry Boot arrived in class, the whispers starting again. The two Hufflepuff girls were near Hermione, and her ears were burning.

"Do you think the Marriage Law will be applied to Half-bloods, too?"

"Why would it? Wasn't the point that muggle-borns and pure-bloods have the most magical children?"

"I guess… there's Terry Boot! Can you believe he ended up with Greengrass?"

"He actually petitioned for her!?"

"Apparently he waited too long- it was her, or a bunch of witches pushing forty…"

"Oh, poor guy… remind me to find a boyfriend soon, in case they announce a half-blood amendment to the Law. Maybe we could all just pull a Potter and be relatively safe."

"Hannah! You sound as devious as a Slytherin, plotting ahead like that."

"Well, I'm not going to be paired up with some jerk just because of his blood-status! Can you imagine? You heard about Granger, right?"

The other Hufflepuff slapped Hannah's arm, gesturing to Hermione with a nod. Hannah looked up, realizing the girl in question was just a row behind her. "Oh, uh… hi, Hermione!" She lifted her book, gesturing. "Hell of a homework assignment last week, huh?"

Hermione smiled and nodded, turning back to her book and pretending to read, just as Draco was doing. She hoped class would start soon, so the gossip would be cut off.

The announcements had been made one week ago at dinner. Everyone knew, so there was no point trying to deny that her marriage had been extremely unfortunate… but she'd be damned if she would feed the rumors by acting brooding. Throughout the class, she asked questions as usual, took notes, and otherwise tried to act like her regular, unaffected self.

The moment Professor Vector released the class, she sprang to her feet, meaning to bolt out the door. However, she noticed how her quick movement caught the eyes of the two Hufflepuff girls. As they flashed her a look of pity, she made like she was fixing her hair, patting at it and retying it back in a ponytail before walking slowly and nonchalantly towards the door. She wasn't going to act like she was fleeing- she had nothing to run from.

...

Hermione sat down at dinner, and her friends descended on her.

"Hermione! Why didn't you have breakfast with us? Where have you been all day!?" Ron chastised.

Harry frowned. "Ginny said you were here early…"

"Yeah, I guess I was just busy," Hermione lied, filling her plate up with food. The truth was, obviously, that she didn't feel like being badgered by questions and concern from her friends, as she had by Ginny only that morning. She appreciated that her friends cared for her- but it was just too much to handle right then.

"And… and everything's okay, right?" Harry asked, and she looked up at him, plopping a scoop of potatoes onto her plate. She remembered his little speech to Draco at her reception and smiled.

"Everything's fine, Harry," she lied, not wanting to tell him how easily his words had been ignored.

He looked a little suspicious, and Hermione had to conclude he'd been talking to Ginny. Damn.

"Ron," she said, changing the subject, "how are things with you and Mildred?"

Ron reddened, but he was smirking down at his plate, so she was fairly certain his week had gone better than hers. "The Law puts precedence on magic holdings, so I was chosen as the 'Primary Provider.'"

Hermione tried to hide her surprise; Mildred must not be from the most financially stable home for the Ministry to assign them to live in the Burrow. While Hermione herself would much prefer the cozy setting of the Weasley home to Malfoy Manor, the crowded house may have been a little much for a girl who wasn't expecting it.

Ron shook his head, continuing. "She seemed to get along well with my family- afterall, my mum was absolutely mental with worry over Ginny, and when she and Harry strolled through the door together…"

"You didn't tell Mrs. Weasley about you and Ginny beforehand!?" Hermione asked Harry with a gasp.

Harry looked a little sheepish. "Ginny insisted it would be a fantastic surprise…"

"She wanted to make mum a little crazy- I think she got Fred and George's sense of humor.," Ron added, grinning. His smile faltered as he realized he had mention his deceased brother, and the light hearted conversation faded into silence.

"Anyways, you got along with Mildred alright?" Hermione asked, trying to steer the conversation clear of painful subjects.

"Uh… yeah. We got along alright. She's a big fan of Wizard chess, actually…"

Hermione nodded, taking a bite of her pie, thinking. Wouldn't it be nice if her and Draco had something in common? She could never see them becoming friends… but if they could have at least gotten along alright, her future might have looked less bleak and lonely.

...

A/N: So, one reviewer had a point about Ron freaking out. However... I think he would have freaked out plenty when Harry first told him. By now, it's a moot point. Honestly, I have never been a big Ron fan, and I think that he would focus on his own issues more than his friend's as long as it didn't seem like an emergency. So, please don't be too disappointed if Ron doesn't blow up like some of you were expecting. Honestly I just don't like to write him very much. He's not interesting to me...