Other than Voldemort, no one seemed happy about the upcoming nuptials, least of all Draco and Hermione. Over the next several days they avoided each other like the plague. It was one thing to pretend to be together and share touches and kisses when they were in the pit, but when they were once again alone in the Manor, things got, well, awkward.

Hermione kept to her room and library for the most part, places where Draco had learned to avoid. Even though they both agreed that this was the best course of action to advance the order's plan, it didn't make it any easier for either of them.

Hermione spent a large majority of the next three days angry with Draco. There was absolutely no reason for her to be angry with him and she felt slightly ashamed when she finally came to that realization.

He hadn't asked to be sucked into all of this, to be forced to tie himself to her in matrimony. Yes, it had been his idea, but it certainly wasn't from a romantic standpoint. She wasn't sure how much stock Draco Malfoy put in romance, but no one could say that this marriage was anything that either of them would have chosen.

And it was his name that he was giving, which in the pureblood society, was a big deal. For her it wasn't so much of a risk as Draco had assured her several times that the binding would only take effect when she was Olivia, not Hermione. But for him, he would always have been married to someone. Draco Malfoy would always be someone with multiple marriages no matter the situation, and she knew the significance of it in his world.

The day before their wedding, Hermione suddenly realized that they needed to be united in this, not avoiding each other like they had been. She could act the part of a devoted wife while they were in the pit easily, but if there was even the slightest bit of hesitation between the two of them, it would be noticed.

He was in the kitchen when she finally sought him out. She didn't feel guilty about their time apart, he had been avoiding her as well, she reminded herself.

He was sitting on one of the tall stools that lined the far edge of the island countertop. The domesticity of the scene made Hermione pause for a moment. He had a book laid out on the countertop and was making quick, neat notes on the parchment next to him. Potion ingredients, Hermione assumed given his mastery as well as their task of gathering ingredients for the order.

He was more casually dressed than she thought she had ever seen him, the dark grey t-shirt and deep blue jeans were of muggle quality and she wondered briefly where he had gotten them from. His blond hair was slightly mussed, as if he had been running his hand through it, something she had recognized as a habit of it.

Pausing in the doorway, Hermione cleared her throat to catch his attention. Draco looked up at the noise and met her eyes, not entirely surprised to find her there. Just like her, he had been avoiding her, fully realizing the actions they were about to take.

"Granger." He said in acknowledgement, finding her slightly skittish demeanor somewhat endearing. They had lived together with relative ease for almost two months and now suddenly that the dynamic had shifted, it was like they were back on day one.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said, catching him off guard as continued into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "You were right, we need to be in this together and I personally will acknowledge that I've been acting quite immature about this."

She let out a quick breath, proud that she made it through without letting her pride stop her. They needed to take this step together if this was going to be successful. They never had to be friends, and after this they never had to see each other again, but right now, they needed to be united.

"Well I suppose I never viewed you as especially mature." Draco said, the corner of his mouth twitching at her resulting scowl. He let out a small chuckle and spun the pen he was writing with between his fingers. "Relax, Granger. This is going to work."

He watched in surprise as she rounded the island and slid onto the stood next to him. Instead of looking at him she picked up the corner of the parchment in front of them that did indeed hold a list of potion ingredients. Sighing she dropped the parchment and leaned her elbows down on the counter, turning her head to look up at him.

He waited expectantly for her to speak, reveling in the back of his mind just how far they had come in the past two months. Prior to that night, he didn't think he could have even stood to have touched her and now, well they had kissed twice without any issue.

"What did you think your wedding was going to be like?" Hermione asked, bringing his attention back to her.

"What?"

She quirked her lips up and let out a small laugh. "Your wedding, Mafoy. Did you ever think about it?"

The question caught him off guard. He knew that she likely had envisioned her wedding as it seemed most women did, but the only thought of marrying her tomorrow that bothered him was the marriage itself, not missing out on some big grand wedding.

"Um, I suppose not." He narrowed his eyes a bit as if he were thinking. "No, not at all. My parent would have been the ones planning all of that."

"You're parents? Really?" Hermione asked in surprise. Even in the muggle world the groom would have some sort of input in the wedding, sometimes.

"Well they get to pick who I marry so why not let them follow it through and plan it all." Draco returned with a matter-of-fact tone.

She had known about the arranged marriages within the pureblood society, had been shocked to find out about them, but for some reason the Malfoy's always seemed more… progressive than that.

"You're betrothed?" For some reason the thought of him already being engaged to someone was tying her stomach into knots. This whole set up really was putting him in an awkward situation.

Draco nodded and absently flicked the page over in the book. "To who?" Hermione asked, curiosity mixing with the mild sense of dread.

He glanced over at her and she raised her brows at him in question. The look on his face was tight and somewhat strained, like he didn't enjoy thinking about the fact he had been engaged since he was seven years old, or that he didn't like thinking of his betrothed as someone to marry.

"Pansy." Instead of Draco it was Hermione who had spoken, her face reflecting the moment she came to the realization. "That's why her father was so short with you at the gala."

Draco nodded but Hermione still felt confused.

"But why? He didn't necessarily seem upset, more-" she paused, searching for the right word as she remembered the odd behavior of Mr. Parkinson that night. "—imploring? Did something happen?"

He knew that she had picked up on it that night, thought her inquisitive skills were more in tune than he had initially given her credit for. Mr. Parkinson had hounded him multiple times that night regarding the arrangement between him and Pansy, something that set Draco's teeth on edge when he remembered the man.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, pulling him out of his thoughts with a slight nudge to his side with her elbow.

"I broke it off." He said, not entirely sure why he was sharing this with her. His personal affairs were none of her business, though it felt good to talk to someone about impractical things. In the years since his mother's death, he had been on guard with every interaction he had besides Pansy and Theo, so much so that he felt he would never be able to speak to anyone normally again.

"When?" Hermione asked, enjoying the opportunity to just talk with him when it didn't involve plans in the pit. It was relaxing for her to have something to take her mind off everything that was happening in the world around them. Her friends had always served that role for her, and now it seemed, Malfoy was doing it.

"As soon as I found out about Pansy and Theo." Draco said, a slight smile curling his lips as he remembered the night Theo had come to him. His friend had been warry about approaching one of the high ranking Death Eaters about breaking his engagement, even if that Death Eater had been his friend for years.

Theo had spent a few minutes to Draco's amusement, begging and pleading with the blond to release Pansy from the arrangement set by their parents. He had stated several times that this wasn't Pansy's idea, but he didn't think he could live with himself if he didn't approach Draco on his behalf. After finally deciding that his friend had suffered enough, Draco vehemently agreed to break the engagement.

He had never wanted to marry Pansy, after their tryst in fifth year, he knew he didn't feel that way about her. But given that it was tradition as well as the will of his parents, he had accepted the match without fuss. It was only too easy to release himself from the arrangement given that he was technically now a free agent with the estrangement of his father and death of his mother.

Mr. Parkinson, on the other hand, had been less than pleased with the development. While Theo's family was rich enough to be considered a good match, having someone in the family who was directly under the order of Voldemort had made for a good business proposition. Since Draco broke the engagement, he had been receiving almost daily owls from the man with new terms to the agreement, all annoying in Draco's favor.

"Do you regret it?" Hermione asked.

Did he regret it? No was the simple answer, however nothing was ever simple. He regretted not having things laid out for him. Life was much simpler with someone else making the decisions for you, but he supposed he gave up that lifestyle when he had first brought Hermione back to the Manor.

Draco shook his head and leaned back on the stood slightly. "No. I'm happy for my friends. And feel… free."

Hermione watched his face carefully as he spoke. She couldn't imagine having her life planned out, especially given the unpredictability of the world that she had found herself in once she turned eleven. It would be freeing to finally have the opportunity to choose for yourself.

They sat in silence for a moment more before Hermione flicked at the parchment. "So what are we looking for?" Scanning the list she had several potions enter her head that would require many of the listed ingredients.

Appreciating the change of subject, Draco leaned forward and spun the book to face her. It was a book she recognized from her healer training, one that was filled with all assortments of healing potions. The one that was on the open page made her want to laugh.

"Thinking of getting poisoned again?" She asked, looking over at him from the Hemosubsisto recipe that had saved his life two months ago.

He allowed her a slight quirk of his lips. "It's not necessarily in the plan but now that we know it's one of the poison's in the Dark Lord's arsenal, it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Practical, Hermione conceded and turned the page of the book, flipping through the other antidotes listed there.

"How about you?" Draco asked suddenly.

Hermione looked up at him, confused. "What? Am I planning on being poisoned? It didn't exactly look all that enjoyable, so I'll say no."

He rolled his eyes. "No, have you ever thought about your wedding?"

She looked over at him in surprise. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected Draco Malfoy to ask about her dreams of a wedding. The shock must have been evident on her face as he raised his brows at her and tilted his head, the question still hanging between them.

Blinking several times, Hermione thought about the glimpses of her wedding she had viewed over the years. "I guess so. Not in detail, mind you, I'm not that obsessive." Draco snorted as if he didn't believe her. "But yes, I've thought about it."

"And?" He prompted, holding out a hand to gesture for her to continue. "Big white dress? Flower arch? Pigeons released at the end?"

She gaped at him. Draco Malfoy was up to speed on his muggle wedding ceremonies. The thought delighted her. "Sure, all of the above except they are doves, not pigeons."

He snorted again and nodded. "Of course they are."

"Why do you know so much about weddings?"

He shrugged. "Pansy was quite intense when we were dating and already engaged. She had the entire thing planned out and apparently muggles have these very intricate magazines specifically about weddings."

Hermione almost laughed at the image of him and Pansy pouring over the bridal magazines that her parents had sitting in their dental office when she had been young. He would have hated it, she thought, but he seemed to have put up with it for Pansy's sake.

"She must have been excited, thought why someone would be excited to marry you I'll never know."

He looked over at her sharply but saw a slight teasing smile across her lips and shook his head. He never let anyone talk to him like this but the banter between himself and Hermione was enjoyable. It had been a long time since he had bantered with anyone, a long time since anyone had made him smile.

"You're not so much of a catch yourself, Granger." He shot back, mimicking her when she raised her brows. "Less than ideal blood status, unmanageable hair, much to thin, loud mouth."

He listed off several more things, each one had Hermione smiling internally. Everything he listed was entirely true, but it also proved that he had been paying attention to her, enough to know that she apparently smelt "annoying like a vanilla chai latte". She was seeing a new side of Malfoy and he was almost intriguing.

He paused in his list seeing her smile. "What?"

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, pushing up off the counter to lean back on her perch on the stool. "Oh nothing. Just enjoying your astute observations."

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head, her smile only widening at his slight annoyance. Her smile was comforting to him and it felt suddenly right having her here in his kitchen, sitting next to him and laughing at him. The smile slowly dropped from her lips as she saw the shift in his face.

"What?"

Draco studied her face for a few more moments and reached out to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. She flinched slightly at the touch, but it only made him smirk. Dropping his hand he slid off the stood and snapped the book shut.

Hermione watched in confusion at his movement, for a moment she had thought he would kiss her again, but obviously that wasn't his intention. Draco paused for a moment at the edge of the island counter and met her eyes again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Granger. Try to get some rest for our wedding." His lips twitched slightly before he turned and left the kitchen.

Hermione watched him leave, allowing herself for a moment to admire his retreating form. Blinking she caught her wits again, this was no place for her to start having feelings, especially not for Draco Malfoy. They would accomplish their mission and then they would go their separate ways.

Hermione sighed and then slid off of her own stool, feeling the dread about tomorrow return.

She dressed by herself the next evening, having spent enough time at this point in both her closet as well as down in the pit to understand what was expected of her. She smirked thinking about Draco's reaction to the dress she pulled down from the hanger and laughed openly when Kildy clapped her hands in delight.

"That is Kildy's favorite miss!" The elf gushed, running her knobby fingers over the soft fabric. The elf had been helping her most of the afternoon, crafting a masterpiece of her hair. They checked it multiple times with Olivia's hair to make sure that things held up.

When she make her way down the stairs Draco surveyed her for a moment before dropping his gaze and shaking his head. Hermione grinned widely, quite happy with the reaction the deep maroon dress elicited.

"Fitting." Draco said once she reached her.

"Once a Gryffindor." She said with a smile and a slight twirl causing the long skirt of the dress to billow out slightly.

He huffed slightly as she turned back to him, of course she would pick today of all days to make a statement. Still grinning Hermione slipped the gold ring on her finger, disillusioning her. He felt somewhat dismayed seeing the shift in her features, the sharp face of Olivia was much less appealing than Hermione's warm brown eyes and full lips. However, it did help him focus his mind more.

"Ready?" He asked, holding out his arm.

She took it, sensing the immediate shift in the mood and felt once again the dread of what was to come. They could pull this off, she reminded herself, gripping Draco's arm tightly before they apparated into the cave.

The celebrations were already underway when they arrived. There had been several marriage ceremonies performed under the watchful gaze of Voldemort, each of them involved a large amount of drinking and other frivolities.

Hermione was still surprised every time she saw the party atmosphere down in the cave. While the order was hiding under the protection of the underground, Death Eaters were having a grand soiree. The thought made her angry. Angry, and more determined to finish this, all of this.

Voldemort saw the moment that they arrived, standing slowly from his chair as a hush fell over the crowd. Hermione took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Draco's hand as he tugged her towards the front. She had a vague idea of what was coming, Draco had explained the process of the ceremony enough where nothing would happen that she wasn't expecting.

They stood in front of the silent crowd, Hermione's heard racing against the silk of the burgundy dress. Draco could sense her nerves as if they were her own, her hand was cold in his and he gave it a slight squeeze as Bellatrix stepped in front of the couple. Wizarding wedding ceremonies were traditionally performed by a family member, and since Lucius Malfoy wanted nothing to do with his son, it was up to his only other surviving relative.

Hermione could have imagined nothing worse than having Bellatrix be the one marrying them, then again it wasn't like she had imagined marrying Draco Malfoy in a cave either so…

It was nothing like a muggle ceremony, Hermione thought as Bellatrix started chanting incantations. There was an odd reminiscence of the rituals found in Halloween movies she used to watch with her parents prior to discovering that witches were actually real.

At one point Bellatrix yanked Hermione and Draco's hands apart, taking each of them separately as she pricked the tip of her knife into their palms. Hermione bit her lip as the witch dug the knife into her skin a little more forcefully as than what was necessary. Draco narrowed his eyes at his aunts look of pure pleasure at pricking Hermione's palm. Their palms were pressed together, and Hermione cringed at the contact thinking of all the contamination warnings she had drilled into her during her training.

The incantations were mainly in a different language, not Latin, Hermione thought vaguely not recognizing anything from her catholic upbringing. It concerned her a bit that she didn't know what was being said, didn't know what was being done to her as small blue lights flickered around her and Draco for a large portion of the ceremony.

The lights would have been beautiful if they weren't a symbol of binding herself to Malfoy. After another series of incantations, Bellatrix stepped back, her eyes wide with awe as the lights surrounding Hermione and Draco flashed with intense brightness and then disappeared completely.

As if expecting something terrible to happen, Bellatrix stared at them with her wide, black eyes. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what was supposed to happen next, so she glanced up at Draco who in turn looked down at her.

"And it's done." He said quietly before a roaring cheer filled the large expanse of the cave. The sudden noise in what had been dead silence made Hermione jump and Draco squeezed her hand to ground her.

Bellatrix suddenly stepped forward causing Hermione to take a surprised step back, letting go of Draco's hand. The black-haired witch leaned forward menacingly, so she was inches from Hermione's face. Her heart beat wildly at the close proximity, taken back immediately to the drawing room those years ago and the horrors that went with it.

Bellatrix's breath was warm in Hermione's face as the witch tilted her head at her. "I hope you understand what you've done." Bellatrix sneered.

"I do." Hermione replied meeting the black eyes strait on, not letting this woman intimidate her. She had been afraid of Bellatrix for years, her nightmares filled with images of the witch and the pain that accompanied her. There was nothing she could do about the nightmares, but she wouldn't let the real woman get to her.

Bellatrix sneered before she was jerked sharply away by Draco. "I'd appreciate it if you stayed away from my wife, aunt. Wouldn't want her tainted by your vileness."

Bellatrix glared at her nephew but didn't say anything in response, instead slinking away to stand at Voldemort's side. Her presence there was ornamental at best, everyone knew who was among the Dark Lord's most trusted followers and with Bellatrix's behavior in the past, she didn't make the list.

The cave still held the echoes of the joyful celebration as Draco slid his arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her close to him. "Alright?"

Hermione nodded slightly and looked up at him. "Yes."

"Good. You've just married the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world, how do you feel Mrs. Malfoy?"

She closed her eyes briefly in shock at the name, but Draco could see the slight smile. "I feel like my husband needs an ego check."

"Probably." He agreed with a quirk of his lips, before drawing her into the crowd with him.

They accepted congratulations from almost all the Death Eaters who approached them, fielding the questions about when they would start adding to the pureblood population. The urgency with which it was expected of them to start procreating was concerning to Hermione, but she laughed along with Draco after each encounter.

They didn't drink having learned their lesson during Hermione's first visit to the pit. After less than an hour the large group began to disband to their usual spots at the edge of the cave. The newlyweds kept by each other's side the entire night, feeling that it not only kept up their image of a devoted couple, but also served to make sure that neither of them were in any dangerous situations.

Draco had seen Fenir Greyback hovering near the back of the crowd during the cermony, the bright blue eyes never leaving Hermione. He never approached the couple, but Draco vowed never to leave Hermione's side while in the presence of the werewolf. He didn't trust the impulsiveness of the man, let alone trust him to head the warning Draco had made during the last encounter they had.

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked as she caught him glaring at the back of the cave much late in the evening. She was probably the most tired she had ever been, emotionally and physically exhausted. Olivia's sleek black hair was slipping from the clips that Kildy had so carefully placed those hours ago and Hermione's head ached.

Draco looked down at her and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm definitely ready to leave though."

He did look ready to leave, Hermione noted. He looked as tired at she felt. "Are we allowed to leave?"

The corner of his lips twitched slightly before he scanned the crowd. "Technically it's our wedding, we can do whatever we want."

Hermione pursed her lips and pretended to consider this. "Well everyone does seem very eager for us to start popping out children and we certainly can't do that here."

His brows raised in slight surprise but then he chuckled, allowing to enjoy the small moments he had with her. For a brief moment he allowed himself to imagine what their future would be like if they actually had married each other today. The thought of Hermione Granger spending the rest of her life with him was eerily comfortable and Draco cleared his throat before allowing the fantasy to proceed.

Holding out an arm to her, he inclined his head. "Shall we?"

Hermione sighed with relief when they arrived back in the entrance hall of the manor. Her ears were ringing in the sudden silence and she rubbed at her temples to ebb the pain. All she wanted was to collapse in her bed and sleep for the rest of the week.

"That was interesting." She said quietly, running through the events of the evening for a final time. "I suppose it was everything I would have expected from a Death Eater marriage ceremony performed in a cave so I can't say that I'm disappointed."

Her attempt at humor was light and she glanced up at Draco, surprised to find him staring down at her as if studying her.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head in question.

He didn't say anything, instead, reached out and took her right hand in his and eased the small gold ring off. Hermione couldn't feel the change in her features but the shift of Draco's expression from hard to soft was noticeable.

"Better." He said softly before closing her fingers over the ring in her hand.

He didn't say anything more but tucked an errant curl behind her ear before turning and departing from the room.

She stood there watching his retreating form, the confusion that overtook her was overwhelming and made her head throb even more. Almost blindly she opened the fingers of her right hand and stared down at the ring in them. Then in the next moment, shifted her gaze to her left hand to the ring that encircled her finger.

A slight moment of panic bubbled up in her throat before she pushed it down and took a deep breath. They had completed this part of their mission, started along a series of paths that would hopefully lead to the end of Voldemort's regime. And yet deep down, Hermione couldn't help but feel some mild disappointment that this was only a means to an end.

The day was nothing like the wedding she had imagined when Draco had asked her yesterday in the kitchen. And standing alone in the middle of a chilly hallway while her husband likely collapsed into his own separate bed certainly wasn't how she had imagined spending her marriage night.