CHAPTER 10

" Hermione I'm sure Malfoy will take care of it. If there is anybody who can handle this thing it's Malfoy." Harry had been consoling Hermione since the news. Initially Ron had been with them but he had then been called by his mother who had asked him and the twins to go to the burrow with her for some things. "How can you know that Harry? They are not back yet. We don't even know what is going on at the Ministry. I don't even know Marcus Flint... What if I'm forced to marry him?" " Look that will not happen. We will figure out something. Please Hermione just trust me."

Downstairs Draco and Remus had just arrived to see Sirius nursing a firewhiskey. "Tell me Hermione is going to be married into our family only." Sirius had never expected himself to say those words about Hermione. He had first met her when she was in her third year and she had always been a sweet girl. She was no doubt the brightest witch of her age and such a innocent girl, a girl who would never fit into a family as inclined towards Dark Arts as his. Yet somehow it was his family only, a member of the Black family, who would save a muggle-born, a girl who was considered below them, from her doom. Oh, life was funny. " Where is she?" Draco asked. Both the men knew it was Hermione he was referring to. "You didn't answer me yet." Sirius argued. " We got it Sirius. I'll explain you everything." Remus, always the calm one, answered. Sirius looked at Draco and pointed towards the stairs. And so Draco headed upstairs to Hermione's room to talk to her.

Harry and Hermione had been sitting on her bed close together, her head resting on his shoulder when a knock interrupted them. "Granger, may I come in?" It was Draco Malfoy who was standing outside the door. " I'll leave you two alone." Harry said and went to open the door. A quick, private word was shared between the two of them and then Draco entered the room, closing the door behind him.

" What happened?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed the room for the past few seconds. "Well, I have got some good news and a bad one. Which one would you like to hear?" " Am I gonna have to marry Flint?" " Really love, don't you even have a little faith in me? Or are you looking for ways to get out of our marriage." The playful tone with which he talked was enough for Hermione. It meant she was still gonna marry Draco. " I don't even know Flint. So they agreed, huh? " "You probably wouldn't. He was Quidditch Captain when I joined the team in second year. Horrible guy. And of course the Ministry agreed. I'm Draco Malfoy." He said it like it was reason enough for the Ministry to do his bidding. " Anyway" Draco continued, " we will have to move out of here. The Ministry is going to inspect the house we are going to live in so we can't exactly have them come here to the Headquarters. Don't worry I bought a house in Diagon Alley. It's a small flat but it's near the joke shop owned by the twins so you won't be that far from the Weasleys. And on most days you will live here only or at Hogwarts." " You won't?" Hermione asked. "What?" " I mean you said I will live here. So what about you? Will you not stay here?" " You want me to stay here Granger? It almost sounds like you care." " I don't care Malfoy. I was just asking." " Well we'll just have to wait and see huh. Now we just need to wait for the Ministry to owl you my petition. Should be here by the morning. And now I'll take my leave." " Malfoy" Hermione interrupted Draco's exit, " thank you. For everything." Hermione sent a smile his way and Draco found himself entranced by it. He had always found Granger beautiful. Even when she was bursting with anger and had gone and punched him or when she had been smiling shyly while dancing in the arms of Victor Krum during the Yule Ball. But it was this, her first genuine smile directed towards him, that meant a lot to him. If anybody asked him when was the day that he lost his heart to Granger, so far he would answer four times he did so. First when he had, at the age of twelve, heard her laughing with her friends at the end of second year when she had been discharged from the Hospital Wing after being petrified, second when she had the guts to hit him, third when she had been dancing gracefully during the Yule Ball and now."It is not a big deal Granger." He had said and smiled at her and then left her room.

Dinner that night had been a wonderful affair. Everybody had been quite relieved to know that it was all taken care of. Apart from the incident in which Narcissa had gone on and on about how she would let two 17-year-olds live alone and then had giggled with joy on being told that the house would just be for show, the dinner had been a happy event. Even Hermione had not once objected to sitting beside Draco, a fact that did not escape Draco's notice. It was indeed one of the best dinners Draco had ever had, especially due to the fact that Hermione's arm would quite regularly brush his. Draco Malfoy could not wait to be married to the lady laughing beside him.