DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fiction is purely for my own enjoyment and yours. No money is being made by me or anyone else from this fiction.

Author Note: Hello again my readers! I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day weekend. Sorry again for the slight delay in updating. Hope this chapter is worth it. Read and enjoy!

Update: 5/15/2012: At Lady Firewing's suggestion, I have added one of the articles flaming poor Hermione. Hope you like it!

Chapter 10

Hermione woke at the gentle shaking of her shoulder. She moaned and blinked her eyes. The smell of old parchment immediately assailed her nostrils. Did I fall asleep in the library again? She picked up her head and realized she had fallen asleep at large wooden table, using the thick book before her as a pillow. "I'm sorry Madame Pince," she mumbled, yawning widely and stretching her arms over her head.

"Mistress Hermione is talking sleep-talk," said a high pitched voice coming from Hermione's side. She stiffened and looked down. A house elf in a little yellow dress looked up at her with concern. Hermione's eyes widened comically and she tore her gaze across the room.

She was in a large, elegant library that was most certainly not the Hogwarts library. She glanced down at the books she had been reading, all of them about potions. Her stomach plummeted. A sudden snort caused her to jump and she whirled about, her wand out and a curse on her lips. What she saw caused her to give a snort of her own and she threw a hand up to cover her giggle. Draco Malfoy was sprawled out rather inelegantly on a black leather couch behind her, his mouth slightly open and a large dark book laying open on his chest. It was one of the most unflattering positions Hermione had ever seen him in, and for a moment she wished Colin Creevy was there with his camera.

"Is Mistress Hermione alright?" asked the little house elf a bit fearfully. Hermione snapped to attention and smiled down at the elf who was now rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Yes Sunny, I'm fine. I just fell asleep in the library, that's all. Are the children alright?" Hermione asked quietly, trying not to wake Malfoy. She had a feeling he wasn't very pleasant in the mornings. Except for yesterday morning, her brain wickedly reminded her. Hermione blushed. Let's not think about that, she scolded herself.

Sunny nodded profusely and fidgeted with her fingers. "Oh yes, Mistress. Madame Rilla is taking care of the girls because Mistress was still sleeping."

Hermione felt a twinge of guilt. "Does she need my help? Is that why you're here?" She frowned, watching Sunny's nervous habits. I'm not mean to the elves, am I? Everything was fine when I was in the kitchen yesterday.

Sunny glanced back at the door. "No Mistress, it isn't that."

Hermione frowned. "When what is it, dear?"

"Master Draco's mother is here, Mistress," Sunny said. "And she is not being very happy."

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock and alarm. Mrs. Malfoy is here? Quickly she tried to collect herself. "Thank you Sunny. Will you tell Mrs. Malfoy that Mal-Master Draco and I will be down shortly?"

Sunny nodded and disappeared with a crack. As soon as she was gone, Hermione whirled about and shouted, "Draco!"

Malfoy jumped and fell off the couch cursing. "Dammit Granger! What did you do that for?" He blinked against the midmorning sun and tried to throw a menacing glare at Hermione, but it was ruined by his graceless fall from the couch and his hair sticking out wildly in different directions. In normal circumstances, Hermione would have teased him about it, especially his hair, but her nerves were too much at the moment. She ignored Malfoy's irritation and threw him an agitated look.

"Your mother is here!" she hissed and watched his eyebrows lift in surprise. Then he shrugged and stood up.

"We best not keep her waiting then," he said walking towards the door.

"What? Wait!" cried Hermione, reaching out and grabbing Malfoy's arm. He stumbled backwards and fell into her. He automatically put his arms around her to steady them. Hermione's heart skipped a beat before she roughly pushed him away. Calm down, Hermione, deep breaths, she chanted in her head. Malfoy stared at her.

"What?" he asked and it was all Hermione could do not to smack him upside the head.

"What do you mean, what?" she growled. "Your mother is down there! What are we going to tell her?"

Malfoy stared at her blankly for a moment and Hermione rolled her eyes. "Did you forget that everyone in this world thinks we're married? But your mother will see right through us!"

Malfoy was still staring at her her. What is wrong with him? Hermione glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?" she demanded.

To her surprise and horror, a smile slowly spread across Malfoy's face. "Don't worry about it Granger. I can handle my mother." He frowned for a moment then smiled again, completely unnerving Hermione. "But there is one thing," he said.

Oh no, thought Hermione, looking at Malfoy warily.

"It's Draco," he said. Hermione shot him a confused look. "Call me Draco, Hermione," he said, emphasizing her name. "We can't be married and call each other by our last names."

Hermione sputtered. "No! I won't do it." She glared pointedly at him. To her annoyance, he merely looked amused.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it just a moment ago, darling," he said, clearly enjoying Hermione's discomfort.

Hermione's mouth dropped open and she hastily snapped it shut. She furiously tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach from the word "darling". This is ferret-boy Malfoy we're talking about, Hermione, get a grip on yourself! "I don't know what you mean," she said haughtily.

Draco laughed. Hermione was affronted. "Come on now, Hermione. Say it. We can't keep my mother waiting."

Worry briefly flickered over Hermione's face before she replaced it with a if-looks-could-kill glare. "Fine," she huffed. "Draco," she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

Malfoy had the gall to continue looking amused. "Good. Now say it again without the sarcasm. Put a little love into it, dearest."

At this point Hermione was silently think of all the ways she could murder him and get away with it. She shot him a dazzling smile and said with sickening sweetness, "Of course, dear Draco."

Malfoy nodded. "Now let's go, wife, before my mother comes to find us."

Hermione blanched. Right. I can do this, just summon up some of that Gryffindor courage, she thought to herself. Reluctantly she took Malfoy—no, Draco's arm and allowed him to lead her from the room. As they walked down the stairs in silence, Hermione's mind buzzing with a million and one things that could go wrong, she noticed that Draco keep glancing over at her and suppressing a smile. She frowned. What was he thinking?

Just before they reached the sitting room where Mrs. Malfoy was waiting, they passed in front of a large hall mirror. Hermione glanced over at it and froze, causing Draco to trip a bit. She took in her rumpled appearance and stood there gaping like a fish for several moments. Then she turned on Draco, who appeared to be holding back laughter.

"You!" she hissed fiercely, pointing a finger at him. "You knew I looked like this and still you were going to let me meet your mother like this?" She wrenched her arm out of his and desperately started combing her hand through her hair and straightening her blouse.

Draco put a hand over his mouth. "You look charming, darling," he drawled, looking her up and down. A blush crept onto her cheeks at this and then she smacked him on the arm.

"Shut up! I am not going in there like this, so help me Draco Malfoy..."

Hermione's rant was unceremoniously cut off by the appearance of Sunny the house elf, who smiled at her Master and Mistress before opening the door to the sitting room for them. "Everything is ready for you, Master and Mistress! I'll bring in some tea when you call!" she said.

Draco took Hermione's arm up again before she could so much as sputter and said, "Come along, darling."

Hermione glared at him, once again plotting his demise as Draco lead her into the luxurious sitting room where his mother sat waiting for them.

Draco struggled to hide his amusement from Granger, ah—Hermione. He was surprised to say the least when she had awoken him with his first name, and even more surprised when she told him his mother was waiting for them downstairs. At once he recognized an opportunity for some fun. He would make Hermione squirm, and having her call him by his first name was only the icing on the cake. He frowned for a short moment. It wasn't like he enjoyed hearing his name come from her mouth. Certainly not. It's just fun seeing her so angry, he thought to himself.

Satisfied with having cleared up any confusion on that note, Draco lead Hermione into the sitting room. He sneaked a glance at her again and couldn't hide his grin. The two of them had spent the night in the Malfoy library, hunting for a solution to their problem. He and Hermione were still wearing yesterday's clothes, which were very rumpled from being slept in and their hair was sleep-tossed. He knew his hair was sticking out at odd angles, but it was nothing compared to Hermione's wild mane. Her bushy curls were everywhere.

In addition to being rumpled from sleep, both Hermione and Draco's clothes showed signs of having been loosened or unbuttoned during the course of the night. Half of Draco's shirt buttons were undone and the shirt was untucked from his trousers. Hermione had shed her jumper and was only wearing her sleeveless blouse and a pair of gray sleep pants, which she had changed into after putting Naomi to bed. Both were barefoot.

As soon as they were inside, Draco whisked them over to his mother without delay. "Good morning, Mother," he drawled lazily, enjoying her arched eyebrow at the sight of the pair of them.

"Good morning, Draco, Hermione. How very—charming you both look today." Narcissa proceeded to eye both of them up and down. Draco grinned as Hermione turned beet red under his mother's strict gaze.

"G-Good morning, Mm-Narcissa," stammered Hermione, trying to muster a smile. Draco noticed she had almost called her Mrs. Malfoy. That would have been odd, thought Draco cheerfully. Wait, this whole situation is odd. Here I am, pretending to be married to Granger of all people, and blatantly making it appear as though she and I... Draco shook his head to clear his mind of such nefarious thoughts. To my own mother! Gods, this situation was nuts.

Narcissa was studying the pair of them carefully and gave Draco a stern look. He blushed, suddenly a bit sheepish. "If you two were having a bit of a lie in, I could have waited," she said.

Hermione choked and immediately said, "Oh no, Narcissa, it's just we, well, we fell asleep in the library last night and..."

Narcissa gave her a knowingly look and held up her hand. Draco grinned at Hermione's horrified look as his mother stopped Hermione in mid-sentence. "Actually," she began. "I'm rather relieved to find you two like this."

Draco and Hermione simultaneously made choking sounds. What? Draco thought, completely taken aback.

Narcissa appeared not to notice this and moved to retrieve something from her purse. "Yes, you see there is a bit of an alarming article in The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly today." She held out a copy of each for Draco and Hermione to see.

Mystified, Draco looked at the two papers his mother was holding out to them. When he read the headlines, his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. Beside him, Hermione made an indignant sound and exclaimed, "Oh, of all the ridiculous—who wrote this?"

Draco was surprised by her outburst. Why would she care? The article in The Daily Prophet had a headline that read, A MALFOY AFFAIR? It was accompanied by a large picture of Hermione in Diagon Alley with her arms around Ron and Naomi scowling at the pair of them. Witch Weekly's headline was similar: TROUBLE IN MALFOY PARADISE? This article was also accompanied by a large photo, this time of Hermione leaning on Ron's shoulder while he held Evanna. Naomi tearfully held her mother's hand.

Draco looked up at his mother and found her watching Hermione carefully. He followed her gaze and was surprised to see the anger in Hermione's face. She glanced up and saw Draco and Narcissa staring at her and immediately her face cleared. She looked to Narcissa. "Forgive me Narcissa, my manners seem to have taken a moment's leave. Shall we sit down? I will call for some tea. Sunny!"

The little elf in the yellow dress appeared right away carrying a silver tea tray. Hermione smiled kindly at the elf and gestured for her to set the tray on the table. Meanwhile, Hermione and Narcissa sat down. "Thank you, that will be all for now Sunny," Hermione said and went about pouring some tea for herself and Narcissa. Draco watched the whole thing with an open mouth. When had Hermione made the transition from stuttering Gryffindor know-it-all to lady hostess? There she was, sitting in her rumpled bed clothes, serving tea to his mother like she was the bloody queen of England!

To his further shock, Hermione suddenly turned towards him, smiled and said "Close your mouth, Draco dear, unless you're trying to catch flies." He snapped his mouth shut and glared at her. His mother chuckled.

"Sit down Draco," his mother admonished him. Sullenly he plopped himself down on the chair in front of him. Hermione and his mother exchanged looks and laughed quietly. Draco glared at the pair of them. This was not how things were supposed to go. What's going on here?

"Now about these atrocious rumors," his mother started and Hermione immediately jumped in.

"Obviously they have nothing better to write about, since they've resorted to publishing this trash."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her vehemence.

"It just reminds of me of the rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in fourth year, during the Triwizard Tournament," she said to Draco. Well, that makes sense, Draco thought. He smirked as he remembered the article claiming she and Potter were an item and how Professor Snape had read the Witch Weekly article out loud. It had been quite amusing. He snorted while Hermione buried her nose in the article.

"And you're sure there isn't any merit to either rumor?" asked Narcissa, looking Draco in the eye.

"Of course not, Mother," Draco said breezily. They can't be true if we're not a couple in the first place, he finished mentally.

He and his mother were interrupted by another outburst from Hermione. "That sneaky, thrice-damned vacuous piece of rubbish! I'll disenchant it today! Right after I smash it into a million and one pieces!"

"Hermione?" asked Draco, eyeing her furious face. "What is it?"

Hermione clenched her teeth. Damn, Granger, what's got you in a fix now? Draco leaned forward for her answer and Narcissa was watching her shrewdly.

"This article! It has a direct quote from me! Out of context!" Hermione said angrily.

Confusion filled Draco. "From when? Diagon Alley? Because that would be your own fault Hermione, you should know better than to talk to reporters." Especially when we're stuck in a world we don't belong in!

"Don't be an idiot, Draco Malfoy," said Hermione dangerously. "Of course I didn't talk to any reporters. This quote was taken from a conversation with my mirror, in my bedroom."

Draco's face darkened. "Someone was in our house?" Wait, did I just say OUR? It's my house. MY house. Hermione rolled her eyes and made an exasperated sound.

"It was an enchanted mirror that recorded her conversation, dear," Narcissa said to her son.

"Yes, listen to this rubbish!" snarled Hermione and she began to read the Witch Weekly article.

When young Draco Malfoy, heir to the distinguished Malfoy name announced his upcoming marriage to one Hermione Granger, muggleborn and top of her class, the Wizarding World was shocked to say the least. Yet when it was revealed the lengths the couple had gone and were willing to go for the side of the Light during the War, any fears that theirs would be a loveless marriage were seemingly put to rest. "I've never seen a couple more in love," gushes Lavander Brown, a close confidant of Mrs. Hermione Malfoy. For four years the couple has flourished in a beautiful marriage which has produced two little girls, Naomi and Evanna Malfoy, the darlings of the Wizarding World. But is all as it seems in Malfoy Paradise?

A source who wishes to remain anonymous reveals the "happy couple" have been suffering problems for some time now. When talking with Mrs. Hermione Malfoy about the honor of being a Malfoy, Hermione said, "I won't be for long. As soon as I can figure out a way out of this mess, I am out of here!" Later that very day Hermione was spotted with old flame and War Hero Ronald Weasley. His familiarity with the little girls suggest this wasn't their first meeting. A witness to this meeting, Florence Weatherby, an upstanding witch and subscriber to Witch Weekly said, "Her behavior was downright shameful. Hard to believe this was actually the respected woman we've come to admire."

Hermione Malfoy, formerly Hermione Granger, is not only a well known War Hero, but also the wildly popular author of six best-selling mystery books. Is this latest escapade a ploy to gain more publicity for her books? Or even worse, a search for her next plot line? Friends and admirers of the young Mrs. Malfoy may want to ask her to reconsider her actions before she breaks poor Draco Malfoy's heart.

"I should have hexed it that morning!" said Hermione hysterically. "I remember, it even said, wait until the girls hear about this!" Hermione mimicked the mirror's voice in a high pitched tone. She covered her face with her hands.

Draco was at a complete loss as to why Hermione was reacting so strongly. Why should she care if our non-existent relationship is being questioned by the media?

"Calm down Hermione, it's not good for the baby," his mother said soothingly as she patted Hermione's back. Understanding dawned on Draco. The pregnancy is making her emotional. That's supposed to happen to women when they're pregnant, right?

Hermione fanned herself. "You're right. Thank you Narcissa, I don't know what came over me. Really, I've haven't read such rubbish since Rita Skeeter was writing."

"It's quite alright dear. And never you mind about these rumors, they're quite easy to crush. You and Draco will simply have to go out tonight and have a very public date."

Draco choked on his tea. Go on a date with Granger? His mind couldn't quite process it. He sneaked a glance at Hermione and saw the shock and apprehension on her face. She doesn't know how to take it either, thought Draco.

Narcissa was still talking. "In fact, I think you two should make a day of it. Get out and go somewhere together, and then come to the Ministry banquet tonight. I'd like to spend some time with my granddaughters anyway."

Draco blinked. "What? What Ministry banquet?"

"The one in honor of the War Heroes," Hermione said softly. "There's a new memorial being put up at the Ministry. One with all the names of the fallen, including muggles and magical creatures that were lost during all the years of Voldemort's terror."

Draco flinched at the Dark Lord's name. "Oh," he said. He couldn't think of anything else to say. Hermione leaned over and squeezed his hand. He jumped in surprise.

"Come on Hermione, I'll help you get ready and choose an outfit for the banquet, since your mirror will no longer be of service to you." Narcissa stood up and held a hand out for Hermione. Draco shook himself, not quite believing what was happening. His mother, the pureblood queen, was offering to help a muggleborn with her wardrobe. But not just any muggleborn, thought Draco. My wife.

"Go get cleaned up and ready, Draco. We haven't got all day," ordered his mother. Draco nodded and Narcissa smiled primly as she lead Hermione out of the sitting room. Draco stood for a moment longer, still trying to process what had just happened. This is madness, he thought, running a hand through his tousled hair. Then he walked slowly out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom to get ready. To get ready for a date. For a date with Hermione bloody Granger. Merlin help me.