Chapter 9

Later That Afternoon

Hermione drummed her fingers on the table. She tapped her foot. She jiggled her leg. She twirled her hair.

This was stupid. He obviously wasn't going to show. He probably had a secret camera set up to photograph standing her up. Maybe he was planning to do an expose with Rita Skeeter on how "desperate bookworm" Hermione Granger was trying to trick him into a marriage.

She stood up to leave in a self-righteous huff, almost knocking the wind out of the person who had come up behind her with her stuffed work bag.

" Oof, Granger watch where you swing that thing, will you," Malfoy's deep voice, more masculine than she remembered, rumbled through her. She turned and stared at him, doubled over, a hand nursing his solar plexus. He looked up at her through long wispy blond bangs, and for just a moment their eyes met. She looked away.

He sat opposite her at the table and, warily, she sat too. He looked rumpled, not the usual smooth polish she expected from him. His hair was loose and partially obscuring his eyes, which had deep bags under them. His clothes were clearly of good quality, but painstakingly plain, just a set of the simplest black robes, a light blue shirt, and black tie. Come to think of it, at the ministry, he'd been dressed in a plain navy sweater. The Malfoy she remembered from school was much more adept at flaunting his wealth than this. Odd.

" You're late."

He made a pained face and checked his watch, " Two minutes past? Call off the inquisition, Granger, I confess to everything!"

She resisted the almost overwhelming urge to stick out her tongue, " 'Better three hours too soon than a minute too late,' Malfoy."

" 'Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what's done, is done', Granger, and now that we've both demonstrated that we can quote Shakespeare, let's get on with it," He rolled his eyes and took out a piece of parchment, " We've lost two whole minutes. Oh the humanity!"

" You've read Shakespeare?"

He raised an eyebrow, " I had to take Muggle studies just like everybody else. Shakespeare was one of the few worthwhile things we studied."

She didn't believe him, " Which play is your favorite?"

" Hamlet," He shot back, " Yours?"

" Much Ado About Nothing," She was so bewildered by this unexpected revelation, the response was almost automatic.

He seemed surprised at that.

" I like Beatrice and Benedick," She defended herself, " And the happy ending."

" I didn't say anything against it, Granger. Just had you pegged as more of a tragedy fan."

" No," She smiled ruefully, " Tragedy's overrated. Believe me."

He gave her a crooked little half smile, " That might be one of the only points we can agree on."

" Oh I don't know," She said breezily, " We both agree that the marriage law is a load of bollocks."

" Well look at us," He leaned back and crossed his hands over his chest, " Talking like adults. My mother would be very proud of me right now."

" I'm almost proud of you right now," She said with a smirk.

" I know!" His eyes twinkled with sarcastic glee, " If I can continue behaving this well, Mother might finally let me sleep inside the house."

" With the people?" She played along.

" Indeed, with the people, Granger. But you're right to be sceptical. In about thirty seconds I'm just going to have to comment on that skintight dress of yours and ruin the whole thing."

" Thirty seconds from now I'm going to be so angry about whatever perverted comment you make," She teased back.

" I know, I know, I hate to ruin this nice moment, but I have to, Granger," He shrugged exaggeratedly, "What can I do? I mean, look at you."

" Would it really matter what I wore? I'm sure you'd find a way to comment."

" That's entirely true," He shot back with a grin.

She found herself almost grinning back. Even the corners of her lips were quirking upwards! What was she doing? She dropped her eyes to the tabletop, breaking the moment. This whole situation was messing with her head. Marriage laws, Maritare charms, and to top it all off Malfoy behaving like… well almost like a normal human being? Had the world gone mental?

Suddenly, Hermione wanted very badly to run home. Maybe hide in bed, with crookshanks and a well worn copy of anything but Shakespeare. Perhaps losing her magic really wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Certainly easier than this.

" Uh… we should get to talking about the law," She said quietly, looking back up.

His eyes glimmered with humor, " Ruin the moment all you want, you still have ten seconds, Granger. Tick tock."

She ignored him, " Obviously, I think we should start with the deadlines that the ministry put forth for the marriage law. In three months, they do an interview-"

Draco interrupted, " Your tits are so aggressive in that dress I feel like I'm in an interview."

She couldn't help herself, it was so bad, she burst out laughing. People at other tables glared at them. Malfoy smiled at them.

" She's laughing at me because she knows it's not my best work. Admittedly, she didn't give me a lot to work with as far as wordplay goes," He said to a startled witch at the next table.

" Be quiet," She hissed through her giggles.

" You're the one who's disturbing the peace," He leaned in and whispered, " It's the library for Merlin's sake. Have some respect, Granger."

She giggled again, " Why are you being so… not… not horrible today?"

" Maybe I'm just throwing you off the scent so I can pour poison in your ear," He quipped.

" Right, the old ear poison trick. You slytherins are so clever," She raised an eyebrow, " But really, is someone playing a trick on me with polyjuice potion."

He made a face, " Who would willingly become one of the most hated men in Britain, Granger?"

" Fair point," She echoed.

" But you're welcome to do a full body search to reassure yourself," He spread his hands wide as if to offer her his body and waggled his eyebrows.

" Alright, Malfoy, you've had your fun," She rolled her eyes, " But now, really, let's get on with it."

To Hermione's surprise, He nodded, " Yes, lets do. So what were you saying about three months?"

" I was saying in three months the ministry is conducting home interviews with people who haven't registered an engagement or married."

" That seems… arduous."

" Well, not with the population as low as it is right now," She reminded him.

" Right. You're right," He nodded, " And then after that, of course-"

" Yes, the six month mark is where engagements must be registered to avoid the penalties."

" Which were?" He rested his quill on the pillow of his lower lip. His lips were much fuller than she remembered, and a pale pink color, like the color of lipstick Hermione was always trying to find that would transform her deeply pigmented lips to something more soft and feminine.

Was she thinking about Malfoy's lips right now?

" Restrictions on magical usage, and depending on the person's cooperation, freezing of their assets."

His fist was clenching and unclenching on the hard wooden library tabletop, " They really are being too harsh," He said gruffly.

" And then in a year…" Hermione trailed off and frowned deeply. He echoed her expression, pulling his pouty mouth into a frown that was almost insolent.

" We'll all be married," He concluded grimly.

" Or lose our magic," She added.

She almost didn't catch his reaction. His eyes just widened ever so slightly and he let out half a breath suddenly.

" You didn't read the law at all, did you? You didn't even read the bloody packet!" She hissed accusingly. To his credit he didn't turn a hair.

" I read both, Granger," He corrected.

" You did not!"

" Did too," He growled.

" Okay, fine, I believe you," She stared him down through narrowed eyes, " Just answer me one thing."

" Fine, if it will calm your irrational suspicions."

" Which department head introduced the bill to the Wizengamot?"

" The Head of the Marriage and Family Department," He lied smoothly.

" Wrong!" She smiled triumphantly, "The Head of the Department of Mysteries, which if I recall, is the department you work in!"

" Well I'm not going to remember the fine print!" He exclaimed.

" It's your department!"

" Well I'm just a junior clerk!"

" Doesn't seem to fit your status," She sneered.

" It doesn't." He responded promptly.

" If we don't register matches within six months, the ministry will consider us automatically engaged: True or False?"

He scoffed, " False."

" It's true! You didn't even read the most important part, you dolt! You couldn't even guess right!"

" Salazar Slytherin that's true?"

" Malfoy, do you not realize that this is serious business?"

" Which I am taking very seriously by making sure I get information from the best source."

She felt like she had been kicked in the stomach.

" Be your own source, you lazy prick!" She slammed a fist on the table, " I can't believe I thought there was even a remote possibility that you wanted to help me! I must have been out of my mind."

" Well there's no sense in both of us reading the same thing to get the same information," He held up his hands.

" You just don't care at all, do you?" Hermione wanted to shake him.

" It has been a day, Granger," His placid expression hardened, " What incredible thing am I meant to have accomplished."

" Harry's bringing the wizarding world together for a protest and you're sitting up in your mansion waiting for someone else to do the work for you," Hermione had a hard time keeping her voice library appropriate, " How typically Malfoy."

His nostrils flared, " We can't all be gryffindors, Granger. I'm sorry I'm not up to your standards."

" My standards only exclude cowards, Malfoy," She spat.

" Do not call me a coward, Granger, or you will find yourself very, very sorry."

" Considering that I'm calling you a miserable, cowardly son of a bitch, I don't think you'll be doing anything to make me sorry."

"You are treading dangerous waters here, Granger," He put his face almost nose to nose with her, " I'm warning you one last time. Do not call me a coward again." His breath was hot on her lips but she refused to back away when his eyes were burning into hers.

" Are you going to participate in the protest?"

" What?" His brow furrowed, " No."

" Then, Malfoy," Hermione's chest was burning with anger, " You're a coward who doesn't stand for anything."

She turned on her heel with a flourish and left him standing there in shock. Point to Granger, she thought.