Haven't updated in a really long time, so here's a nice exciting chapter to make up for it. :)
...
Narcissa sighed dreamily as she pinned a large cream colored hibiscus into Hermione's updo. "You just look so beautiful," she cooed, running her fingers down the thick fabric of Hermione's cloak. It was a winter wedding and Hermione was afraid she looked like an eskimo, but the cloak fell back over her shoulders to reveal the strappy top of her dress that made her look much less like an eskimo and more like a hula dancer. The bottom half of the dress was different from everything the rest of the dress had to purvey - layers and layers of glittering princess tulle cascaded from her waist. "I always wanted a daughter." She stepped in front of Hermione and placed her hands on her shoulders. Hermione spotted the tears glistening at the corners of Narcissa's eyes and was horrified and unsure of what to do, especially when Narcissa threw her arms around Hermione's neck and gave her an unnaturally tight hug. Narcissa smelled wonderful and was extremely soft. "Now I'll have you! I'm so glad you and Draco are getting along now. It won't be long and then I'll have grandchildren! Oh, you and Draco will have the most pleasant looking babies..."
Hermione was stunned. She could not think of a single thing to say for the first time in quite possibly her entire life.
And when Narcissa and Gizelle began to gush and gush and gush over curly blonde hair and brown eyes and dimples, Hermione thought she might actually pass out.
Agatha, who had been on her knees hemming Hermione's cloak, caught sight of Hermione's expression and giggled a tiny bit before throwing in that she thought the twins gene swirling around in Gizelle's family would create the cutest pair of children the wizarding world had ever seen. Hermione flicked a small glare in her direction. There was literally no way to escape this conversation, especially in this costume. So she was forced to stand there and simply take it.
After about another half hour of their discussing Hermione's sex life and the results, they helped Hermione out of the dress and Hermione dressed herself in a simple dress, not even floor length, light and lavender and soft, and saw herself out, rushing back to her bedroom as quickly as she could.
She flopped onto her bed, letting out a great gust of a sigh, followed shortly by a groan.
A moment later Draco let himself into her room. He was munching on an apple and his hair was in disarray.
"Rough day?" he asked her, leaning up against the doorframe. He took a loud bite from the apple, which Hermione heard echoing across the hall in his bedroom.
Hermione groaned again. "You've no idea. I never wanted to have that conversation with your mother ever in my entire life, but there I was, forced into it -"
"Yeah, I don't care," Draco said, pacing across the room to her window. Hermione glared at him, but he didn't see. He took one last bite of his apple before he got into a tossing stance and chucked his apple core far out across the courtyard, hitting a man in full-out armour on the back of the head. The resulting ringing could be heard all of the way up in Hermione's room. Draco stepped out of the way of the window with the slightest smirk on his lips. "I'm just here to tell you that your mum sent me a letter today. She wants you to come by as quickly as you can. Something's happened to your father."
Hermione knew it was just code but it still shocked her enough so that she could play along.
"Are you serious?" she exclaimed, her best acting shining through. She threw herself off of her bed and shoved her feet into the closest shoes she could find - her riding boots, which she'd had to wear all of that afternoon before trying on her wedding dress. Apparently, horseback riding was a necessity to princessly knowledge. She picked up her backpack and threw that onto her back as well. "Let's go!"
Draco nodded. "Of course. I'll meet you out front. I'm just going to go and tell Agatha to let your mother know."
...
Hermione couldn't deny the fact that she was more than a little concerned when she, Agatha and Draco were called into the throne room. But she couldn't say that she didn't know what this was about. There was only one thing it could be about.
"So, Hermione, dear," Gizelle said, barely hiding the venom in her tone. "How's your father doing?"
Hermione cleared her throat, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "He's okay now," she replied, thinking carefully. "But he wasn't doing so well earlier."
"Oh, really?" replied Gizelle. "Because I stopped by personally this morning to offer help with whatever might have been going on - Agatha, dear, you were very vague and peaked my curiosity -" Agatha bowed her head - "but you were nowhere be found. Even more interesting - your father hasn't been in any pain in almost a month! Isn't that wonderful? His muggle chiropractor can work miracles, he says."
"Mother, please, let me explain -" Hermione began. This was really, really bad.
"I will have none of it!" Gizelle snapped. "You've been sneaking out! I don't know where and I don't know why, but it's done! Mr. Malfoy, the wedding is off. I shall not have anyone who can lie to the face of their Queen marrying my daughter. Because I have a soft spot for your mother you are free to leave, but I want you out of the castle by tomorrow afternoon."
Hermione tried to interrupt her, her heart sinking and making words difficult, but Gizelle pressed on, stuck in an angry torrent of words and bad news.
"Hermione, I am choosing a new bodyguard for you. The next time you leave your room will be your wedding day, when you will be marrying my second choice for you, Master William Corrig."
She turned her gaze to Agatha, which Hermione had been dreading the entire time. Hermione felt extremely protective of Agatha. They were friends. She reached over and placed her hand in Agatha's.
"And as for you," Gizelle began coldly. She turned her head towards the door. "Guards! Please take this girl to Azkaban. She has disobeyed the Queen's orders and has committed a large number of crimes against the throne.
Hermione could feel the scream ripping from her throat but could not hear it. She lost track of her senses as her grip tightened on Agatha's hand, which had gone limp. The Queen raised her wand to force Hermione off of the servant girl, but Draco pulled Hermione away and close against his chest. His face was solemn as he watched Agatha being dragged away. Hermione thrashed against him but the moment the door closed she fell limp. She didn't even know if anyone was calling after her - she took off out of the room and up into her bedroom. A few moments later she heard the door click locked and felt as though her life was completely and indubitably over.
...
The next week goes by in a blur for Hermione. She's unconscious for most of it, refusing to move from her bed at most times. The first day of solitary confinement she refused the food and drink served to her and got up to use the bathroom once. The second day she refused again and didn't even get up to use the bathroom. On the third day she woke up dry-heaving and finally scarfed down the supper of cold turkey and a baked potato that had been left behind for her and downed four glasses of water. She vomited and went back to bed.
For Draco, the days went by as slowly as they possibly could have. He packed his things and he and his mother moved back to their previous estate. His mother cried and refused to speak to him for the first two days. Draco had nothing to do - his life was over. Hermione wasn't his.
Remus, however, stopped by his home to remind him that Hermione was still his charge, and tells him they need to continue to protect her even if they are not married.
Draco didn't want to accept defeat so easily, but the wedding was the very next night and he could not think of a single way to prevent it from happening.
That night, Draco wrote a letter to Blaise Zabini, requesting that he come the Hogs Head that night to discuss something with him. Blaise had been considering joining the Order for quite some time and becoming a double-agent, as he was still the son of a Death Eater and hadn't managed to escape quite yet, so Draco figured he would jump at his plan.
Draco arrived several minutes earlier than the time they'd planned on meeting and ordered himself a firewhiskey. Hand wrapped around the grubby mug, Draco fixed his eyes out the window but tuned in his ears to what was happening within the pub. He got most of his best intel from the people who slipped up in here and he was grasping at straws, hoping for anything that could help him out tomorrow.
Something quite interesting was going on at the other end of the bar.
"Their plan is flawless!" some man was boasting. "They'll never see it comin', they won't! Bellatrix will be queen before long, just you wait and see!"
Draco's stomach lurched and he needed to know what was going on, but at just that moment his best friend sat down in the seat in front of Draco and downed Draco's drink. "Hey, mate. What's this all about?"
"Blaise, what do you know about a man named William Corrig?"
"Corrig?" Blaise asked, eyebrow quirked. "He was a Death Eater. Very loyal to the cause. Always went around before the Dark Lord came back, bragging that he knew of the plan to bring him back before I'm sure there ever was a plan. He's still working with the Lestranges and your father, I think, but after the Dark Lord fell he denied everything and got out of Azkaban because of some donations he's made to the ministry. He's pretended that he turned over a new leaf and has made several statements about Potter, but I'm sure he's never met the kid." Blaise noticed Draco's face becoming rapidly more horrified. "What's this all about, mate?"
"Corrig is marrying Granger tomorrow evening," Draco replied. "We've got to stop it."
"You're right, we do!" Blaise exclaimed. "Bloody hell, Draco, why didn't you tell me this earlier? We gotta save that poor girl! I didn't know he'd infiltrated the castle yet! The plan was to sneak into the wedding and off Granger there, make a statement, but he can do it so much easier this way! He's probably planning to do it on their wedding night. We gotta save that poor girl."
Draco was quite sure he was going to vomit any minute now. "I need another drink."
"Not now, mate," Blaise said, standing. "Let's tell that Lupin fellow. Now."
...
On the fourth day, Hermione rose from her bed instead of lying there. She slowly drank a glass of water and nibbled at her croissant before running a brush through her hair.
Today was the day.
At around noon there came a knock at her door before the luck unlatched and Narcissa came in, her eyes rimmed in red. Hermione felt horrible, remembering the excitement in Narcissa's eyes when she expressed that she would love to have Hermione as her daughter-in-law. But at least she would get to dress Hermione for her wedding.
Hermione gave Narcissa a tight hug before Narcissa dragged in a team of ladies-in-waiting and her wedding gown. After the gown was on, Hermione held out her arms, expecting them to charm away her tattoo for the day, but Narcissa gently pushed them back towards her sides. "No. Let's leave them. Make a statement."
Hermione had never thought about how strong Narcissa was before. She had lied to the Dark Lord about Harry's death, and she had walked away from her husband to save her son and her own life. She really was someone to admire, and Hermione would have loved to have her as a mother-in-law as well. Or maybe even a sister. Hermione smiled shakily at her and hugged her once again, trying hard not to cry, which would mess up the makeup that had taken nearly an hour to put into place.
Finally, the time came for her to leave and stand at the end of the aisle. The music began and Hermione made her grand entrance. Everyone stood and turned to admire her. Camera's flashed but Hermione didn't notice them. Her eyes were locked on her groom. Unlike most bride's, she wasn't gushing with joy over how wonderful her husband looked. Instead, she was seeing him for the very first time and trying to get a handle on him.
He was tall and lean and not bad looking, with a sharp face and a bit of stubble. But he had a cold look in his eyes, despite the obviously forced look of cheer he was putting on for the cameras, and he appeared to be rather old, possibly in his late forties.
Hermione finally reached the last steps of the aisle and he reached out to take her hand, which Hermione took back. She was giving in and it sickened her. However, this was not the man who had originally been hired to do the wedding. Who was this man? Hermione wondered if perhaps this Mr. Corrig had hired him in place of the previous man to get out of the magical bond that came with being wizard-married.
Her parents were in the crowd, in the very front pew. She could see that they were happy - their minds had probably been tampered with.
The man had begun to speak. He droned on and on and on and finally Hermione caught it.
He mispronounced a spell.
They weren't really getting married.
What was going on?