A/N #1: Hello, my loves! Welcome to my new story! It's 62k, fully written and will update on Fridays.

This is a Hermione x Lucius marriage law, even though we don't see Lucius until chapter 4. This is the main story in the Silly Little Project universe

As always, triggering content will be tagged at the beginning of chapters, they'll be flagged and a summary given so anyone can skip over them and still enjoy the story.

Hogwarts September 1998

"Come on, Hermione," Draco whined. They were supposed to be coming up with their Arithmancy project for the term, but Draco wouldn't focus. "We're perfect for each other."

"We would kill each other, Draco," Hermione said, with a huff of laughter. "And you know it. You and I dating is a bad idea."

"No, we wouldn't. We're both smart, sexy, and can bond over the fact that our two best friends growing up were brainless trolls."

"Crabbe and Goyle were trolls; Harry and Ron were both smart, they just didn't apply themselves." Hermione paused, pain ripping through her as she thought about Ron. "And don't talk ill of the dead; it's rude."

Ron had died in the final battle, not far from where Draco and Hermione were sitting now. No one had expected the wall beside them to be blasted apart just minutes after Percy bested the Minister. Ron had thrown himself in front of Fred, saving his brother's life, but losing his own in the process. Harry had almost given up at that moment. It took all of Hermione's power to get him to keep fighting.

The two of them had then headed to the Shrieking Shack and watched in horror as Nagini attacked Snape. Overcome with all the death he had seen, Harry begged Hermione to save their hated Professor. Shoving a bezoar down his throat along with three vials of blood replenishing potion, Hermione had used a spell designed to remove rattlesnake venom on his neck. Once he was stable enough, she ignored his glares as she searched his pockets for any potions that might help. Finding anti-venom, Dittany, and a general healing potion, she forced him to drink them. Slipping him Dreamless Sleep to allow him to recover, she and Harry had levitated him back to Hogwarts before hiding his body in a room off the Great Hall. When the battle was over, Hermione grabbed a nearby Healer and Snape was taken to St Mungo's where he spent the next week recovering.

When everything settled, Harry had accepted Kingsley's offer to skip N.E.W.T's and head right into Auror training, while Hermione had decided she wanted to finish her formal education when Hogwarts re-opened. They spent the summer helping to rebuild the castle, attending too many funerals, fixing up Grimmauld Place, and testifying in a few trials. Hermione's favourite trial had been the one where Dolores Toad-Faced Bitch Umbridge was sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Looking back to Draco, Hermione remembered it was that same day that Harry and Hermione were called to testify in the trials for Lucius and Draco Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy had been killed in the Final Battle. As soon as Bellatrix Lestrange realised her sister had lied to the Dark Lord, she had turned to her sister, spit in her face, and cast the Killing Curse. She remembered Mr Malfoy and his son had looked terrible and Hermione felt a stab of pity for them, even now. There was no love lost between herself and Draco, but she still remembered the look of horror on his face as his aunt had Crucio'd her in his house.

Six long hours later, Draco was cleared of all charges due to his age and the fact that the only crimes he was guilty of had already been pardoned by the previous Minister. The court did require that he return to Hogwarts to repeat his final year and placed monitoring charms on his wand. Lucius Malfoy was also cleared of all charges due to the same technicality While Pius Thicknesse was Imperioused, he had issued a blanket pardon to every Death Eater the previous September. Since Lucius was stripped of his wand in July, he had not committed any crimes after the fact. Hermione and Harry had listened in horror as both Draco and Lucius, under Veritaserum, recounted the hell that Malfoy Manor had become while Voldemort and Bellatrix lived there.

The Wizengamot had wanted him to serve time for identifying Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they were captured and taken to the Manor. However, Lucius fought his way out of a stint in Azkaban by offering up information on all Death Eaters, Snatchers, and Ministry officials that had taken bribes over the last three years. The court accepted his offer, placed a Dark Magic monitoring spell on his wand, and ordered him to attend 'Muggle Tolerance' classes for six months.

Hermione recalled her surprise as Draco approached her on the Hogwarts Express the day they returned to school. She was alone in a carriage and he had asked to join her before spending the next half hour apologising to her for everything he had ever said to and about her. She told him she would only accept his apology if he wrote Harry and apologised to him as well. As they watched Draco's eagle owl fly out the window, the two new friends had smiled at each other before launching into a long discussion on their upcoming year. They were taking the same classes and Draco asked right away if they could pair up in Arithmancy since his previous partner, Blaise, was not returning. And here they were two weeks later working together, well trying to.

"Sorry," Draco said, not sounding all that sorry. "But I still think we would be perfect together."

"Okay, Draco," Hermione replied. She had learned over the years that sometimes it was easier to just go along with what boys said then try to fight against it. If Draco wasn't going to drop it, maybe she could use it to her advantage. "How about for our Arithmancy project this term, we come up with an equation that will show us how compatible we are. If it confirms that we are perfect for each other like you think, I'll let you take me on a date over the Christmas Hols."

"Christmas? But it's still the middle of September! What am I supposed to do until then?"

"Use all your pent up frustration on completing the equation faster?"

"If we get it done sooner, we could go to Hogsmeade together, Halloween weekend?"

"Fine, if it proves you right before Halloween, we can go together. If it doesn't, you have to come with me to Muggle London and go to the cinema."

"I have no idea what that is, but deal."

A/N: What did you think? Let me know in a review.

I started writing this in April 2020 and I'm so happy it's finally finished so I can share it with all of you.

All the love and thanks to TakingFlight48 for coming in last second and alpha reading this.