The Enchanted Marriage
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related franchise. Harry Potter and all rights relating to thus are owned solely by J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 10
Hermione Jane Granger, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly eighteen years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
Or so she dearly hoped for those things.
She was the youngest and only daughter of a most affectionate, indulgent parents.
That would be quite a thing she could only dream of.
Sorrow came-a gentle sorrow- but not at all in the shape of any disagreeable consciousness. Her parents would get a divorce quit soon. Hermione sat in mournful thought of any continuance. However, she had to let go. She had to keep on living.
Without mentioning to Draco of Hermione's parent's divorce, she felt utterly better and relieved to not have to tell the rest of the world of her situation.
Some people do not just live; they lead a life. They don't sit around waiting for a lucky break; they create opportunities for themselves. They go after their dreams and bring them to life. Rather than bending to the status quo, they change it. Rather than being imprisoned by circumstance, they turn it to their advantage.
That was what Hermione wanted; That was what she wished for. She wished to lead her life and was determined to do so, right now.
Even later that very same Sunday, while going Grocery Shopping with the company of her dear newly friends Lila and Macey, Hermione would be determined to prove to herself and Draco, her fake husband, that she is qualified and excellent to be a wife, a housewife, nonetheless a powerful, successful woman. She wanted to prove to him that he had wronged her, and, by fact, had underestimated her. She knew he had. Feeling to be overly empowered, Draco had not realized how shallow and low he had made Hermione feel.
She was neither a slut nor a naughty girl. She was a virgin, a beauty, and was brilliant. Not to mention to the fact that she was utterly stunning!
She was everything alright, and, she was bound to prove it, especially to Draco. She does not want him to tease her, but to respect her and chase after her affections like a hungry man. She did not want to be only attractive and highly intelligent, but respected and deeply cared for as well. Apparently, she was too ungrateful to accept Draco's already expressed caring and affections. Perhaps that was not enough. Perhaps, she wanted more. She wanted much more.
"Okay, well…" Hermione was listening to an old, yet amusing, housewife that she had just met at the local grocery store, who told her specifically about her chosen career as a mother, a wife, and a housewife. Hermione learned so much she was stunned how difficult it was to be all three. The woman's name was Sophia Miley.
"Um okay, well, okay um you know how a lot of people don't think that being a housewife isn't important and everything, but okay, a lot of people depend on you, you know, and you gotta be really smart and really dedicated to all, you know, well, it's kinda like being a doctor. Only, you know ah um, the hours are longer and you don't get any pay and um, it's way bloodier so. It's probably not being a doctor and all, but hey, any questions?" Hermione, Lila, and Macey stared at her with no expression, all of their mouths open.
"What did you really want to do with your life?" Macey asked, shocked.
"Well I tried ah you know lounging on the beaches of Europe but somehow that just left me empty." She smiled, "But believe this or not, I really wanted to have a family. Maybe not the one I got but…" She sighted, looking down.
"Okay well, raising a family is like raising a career." She added, "Okay, It's kinda like managing a factory."
"Now she manages a factory…" Lila whispered in dismay.
"No no no, wait, this is totally gonna be better than the Doctor thing, way way better. Okay, like, I think of my kids like they're the product right? And if I can get them out there on the market, without them getting returned defective," She grinned, "Then I'd done my job."
"Well, how very little house on the prairie." Hermione said, smiling eagerly. Even though her friends were kinda like annoyed, Hermione had a feeling of amusement and enjoyment as she was listening to the old lady.
"I know how to clean, shop, and cook for a family of five on a really really tight budget, you know, and still having that leftover of having to buy all the important aspirin, you know, well." She held tighter into her purse and looked at the price tag at the canned beans she was holding in her right hand.
Hermione has been writing this down.
After saying goodbye and thanks to Mrs. Miley, Hermione and her friends continued shopping together.
"You know, that lady is sure something adorable." Lila said.
"I guess." Hermione said.
"Oh look here's the great shampoo I told you about, Suave Professionals. It's really good for your hair." She picked up two bottles and handed them to Hermione and Lila.
"Thanks." They both said.
_
"Whole Milk, White Eggs, 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Fresh Organic Fruits and vegetables, Bottled Water, Nonfat Plain Yogurt, Lean Chicken, Beef, Canned Beans, Cheese, High Protein and Fiber Bar, Healthy Cereal, Nuts, Green Tea, English Earl Gray Tea, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some Fashion Magazines, toiletries, Body Lotion, and How to Reinvent Yourself: For women Book.
Well, it looks like I got everything here." Hermione said as she placed the foods and waters inside the fridge. She knew how important it was for Draco to be healthy and all. He always talked about being fit and healthy. She knew deep down it was truly important to him.
Draco came back not long after Hemione did, his hands holding two department store's bags. As he placed his stuff on the kitchen counter, Hermione examined what he bought.
Two long and short Khakis, Plain T-Shirts: Blue, White, Black, and Sky Blue, a White Hooded Sweatshirt, a Two-Button Black Jacket, a Pierotucci classic leather blazer, a few long and short sleeved Polo Shirts, white socks, an Electric Razor, Shaving Cream, and some toiletries.
"Well, aren't you, ah, manly." Hermione giggled, taking some of her things and going to her room. Draco smirked after her and placed his things aside.
Hermione felt a wave of relief when he came home early, since she apparently worried about him.
"Hi," He said, smiling. He was so handsome it made her chest tighten. Hermione slightly, awkwardly smiled back at him and sat down on the couch. They were watching TV together.
For the very first time, they did.
His mouth curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Good morning." Hermione said.
She spotted a newspaper on the table next to him. The headline read: COINCIDENCE? It showed a picture of a crime scene alongside a picture of the women who was brutally raped late at night near a subway station.
"I found this outside our neighbor's apartment," he said, handing her the paper. "Terrible story, isn't it? New York is the world's most dangerous cities after all. They sure are famous for their crimes and murders every now and then."
She read the article. He was right. People were getting beat up, swindles, cheated, raped, abused, you name it!
"It is difficult to comprehend," he said.
She nodded. "Yeah, who'd even know that even now, without our knowledge until way later, that every day a person can get raped, let alone in New York!" She gasped.
"You're right." He scowled, staring at the television set.
"The better part in life is the romantic drivel. Even though it insults my sensibilities. It's different when you're looking at it from the heart. People like melodrama and…romance. Not killings and abuse."
"Melodrama and romance? People sure want them both." After a long moment of silence, Hermione breathed heavy and said, "Hey, I'd like to show you something. Come with me."
She went to the den and pressed the button to boot up the computer they got from Dumbledore, then gestured for him to sit down. She pulled up a chair for him.
He gazed at the computer in fascinating. "I always wandered about computers."
Now, how the heck do you explain a computer to Draco Malfoy?
"A computer is like…a machine that holds a lot of information. Almost anything you'd find in a library or newspaper is on here. And it's also like a typewriter, except you can see the words on the screen instead of on paper."
"Extraordinary," he muttered, glancing behind the monitor, as if looking for a projector of some kind.
She typed in the password she created, which was "Magic" and the screen came up. She typed in her log-in of her favorite secretive website that only wizards knew of. Those who knew what a computer was. It was that type of website where you could talk about the people you have crushes on in Hogwarts.
He looked at her. "Do all of these computer machines have this picture on them?"
"No, I put it there myself. You can put whatever picture you want on your computer.
"I see."
She reached past him to open a web browser, and her arm accidentally brushed his. Just that bit of contact sent a warm ripple through her. She heard her heart beating in her ears, probably because she was holding her breath.
Her homepage of that website was Hogwarts: Love Stories, which was one of the top wizard's secret admirer communities. She liked it not only because it had all the latest news about certain witches and wizards, so you could learn about them and perhaps succeed in society by knowing so many people and building up connections, but because it also had a secret admirer forum.
Draco was fascinated. "So you're saying that when someone else puts on a computer, this is not what appears on their screen."
"Right. When you would want to open it perhaps, you would be at the home page of Yahoo or whatever. Now, look at this." She logged on to the main secret admirer forum.
He looked closely at the screen, glancing from side to side, "What is all this?"
"It's people talking about their secret crushes at and from Hogwarts." She used the mouse to click on the latest post. "Many people here wanted to talk about Harry apparently, since so many girls are writing about him every day. Today, one girl asked about his current girlfriend, Ginny Weasly, one we both know, and almost four hundred people responded in the last few hours."
"Remarkable. Who knew girls actually liked potter? But, wait a minute—who is Mrs. Draco Malfoy eight thousand and twenty one?"
Uh-oh. She blushed. He'd spotted the small icon at the top with her log-in name. She felt her face heat up.
It was weird to think that that there were eight thousand and twenty Mrs. Draco Malfoy before her. Obviously they all recognized that he was the most incredible, nonetheless, most handsome man they would ever encounter.
"It's just, uh, a name. Everyone has to log in under a made-up name."
He turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "Is this your made-up name?"
She wished he'd stop looking at her. She knew she was bright red. "Yes, but it's just a joke. I mean, there are thousands of other Mrs. Draco Malfoys. That's why I'm number eight thousand and twenty-one."
"Hmm." He seemed puzzled by the whole thing. "I am glad, at least, to see that girls from and at Hogwarts are writing about me. Up until today, I didn't know that some wizards used computers. I'm glad to know that now. Wait a minute." He pressed his finger against the screen. "Is that person claiming to be my slave?"
He'd spotted a username called MalfoySexySlave.
"It's just a joke, I told you. She doesn't know you're reading this, since this is secret admirer forum. You're not support to know. That's why they're called your admirers that are keeping their admiration for you a secret."
"Joke or not, it isn't funny."
"Let me show you something else," She suggested. "It's called e-mail. Electronic mail. The one we've been talking about. You can send a letter through the computer."
After she showed him how to send an e-mail, she showed him how to check the weather, the local news, the times of sunrise and sunset, how to order stuff online, how to browse products from online stores and such. With every new page, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas. He asked question after question, until finally he pushed back from the computer.
"I would love to bring this knowledge back home. Even though my parents aren't interested in muggle life or their productions and such…" He sighted and looked saddened. Then he picked up his book that taught him about Grief Counseling, for his job, and brought it with him to the computer. "I can't believe how many people wrote about me." He flipped to the author photo on the inside back cover, a glamorous shot of Marisa Cascada.
A few hours later, while getting ready for bed, Hermione wrote in her Diary again.
Dear Diary,
I don't know how good of a teacher I can be. However, I'm sure I will do what I can whenever I can. I do know for a fact I worked real hard for my job, and I also know that I do not want to disappoint Draco for being a slutty teacher too. I won't be, I will be modest, just like he told me to. But this time, I will make sure to dress up like a teacher, or something like that or whatever.
Oh God please bless my soul.
Yours Truly,
Hermione Jane Granger