Chapter Three: The Meeting
Hermione was almost but not quite late to the meeting with Malfoy at two-twenty on Tuesday. She had arrived early in the morning to settle into work so that she could leave straight after. It didn't matter much. She hadn't been sleeping well and her attention today on her work had been ferocious. She was sure she looked a fright, and part of that was she hadn't taken care with her appearance when she apparated out the door at six that morning. Her curls were exceptionally unruly today and her robes were rumpled. It was not the controlled impression she had planned on giving off.
The ministry summons had been for her and Draco. There was nothing about a solicitor. Hermione could not fault Draco for bringing one. If she had a solicitor she'd certainly bring hers. He likely had one on retainer, while she'd be lucky to find someone she could afford.
"Miss Granger," Malfoy's solicitor greeted her when she entered the room. She was a short and plump woman with a kind face who was dressed in cerulean robes. Hermione took stock of her and immediately was wary. Sexism was not eradicated in the wizarding world, and for her to feel free enough to dress in whimsical colors, rather than the sharp, hard look Hermione was accustomed to seeing with solicitors, likely meant that she was very good. "I'm Mrs. Merits. Pleasure to meet you."
"Hello Hermione," Malfoy said softly. That too was unnerving. Hermione just nodded in response. She was not certain what to do with a polite Malfoy, but perhaps she ought to start considering the option. After all, if would be better if they could be civil, with getting married and all.
Getting married. To Malfoy. Hermione tamped down a hysterical giggle that threatened to rise out of her throat. She slid down into her seat and glanced around. The door closed and an old wizard, so pale he was almost translucent, cleared his throat.
"Welcome, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger, to this mediation session. The purpose of this session is to come to a marriage contract that will be agreeable to the two of you." The wizard beamed, clearly under the impression that this was a possibility. "To begin, we will review the standard marriage contract. You may mutually add to this, but you may not remove points. Shall we commence?"
Hermione was mute. Draco's solicitor nodded along. The wizard opened a scroll and began to read out loud the contents.
"Point the first, the marriage will be consummated within twenty-four hours of the marriage ceremony."
Consummation. They began with the exact thing that Hermione was avoiding thinking of. She had never been fond of sex, and now she would have to- couple- with Malfoy.
"Point the second, sexual intercourse for the purpose of bearing a child must be carried out during the witch's window of fertility once a month until pregnancy is detected. In case of a miscarriage, it must resume within two months, in case of a successful pregnancy, it must resume within six months."
She would be required to sleep with him multiple times. This was not precisely surprising news, but Hermione had been avoiding thinking about the event.
"Point the third," the wizard began, when the door opened and three sleek figures glided in.
"Mother. Father," Malfoy said, and he did not seem pleased to see them. "What are you doing here?"
Narcissa Malfoy was dressed like a very stylish cartoon villain, with a sleek dragonhide handbag, a pencil skirt, and gloves. Hermione half expected her to produce a cigarette holder at any time. "Why darling," Narcissa purred, "we simply are here to support you."
"Indeed," Lucius said, and his eyes fell on Hermione. His lips curled, but he said nothing else. Hermione stared back at him. She hoped that she looked resolute and disdainful instead of what she did feel, which was vaguely terrified.
"Mr. Shock," Mrs. Merits said, and her voice had lost some of its warmth. "What an unexpected surprise."
The third figure must have been another solicitor. This one was a middle-aged man in expensive robes, who had a shark-like air to him. Hermine distrusted him immediately.
"Yes, well," the elderly wizard said, flustered for a moment before resuming his place. "Please sit so we might continue!"
There was a flutter of movement.
"Point the third, the couple will be expected to produce four children- two to replace themselves, and two to repopulate the wizarding world."
Hermione felt faintly sick. Four? She was not even certain that she wanted children at all, and now she would be expected to be the mother to a brood. With the average conception taking up to six months- Hermione felt sick at all the times they would be expected to- couple. Across the table Malfoy looked calm. This was what he was bred for, of course. To carry on the family name. And just as well for him- he wasn't going to be the one going through the pregnancies and giving birth and- oh God. Did she have to breastfeed? She tamped down another terrified laugh.
"Oh Lucius," Narcissa fluttered, and grasped his hand. "We'll have such grandchildren to spoil."
"Of course, my pearl," Lucius said, his gaze still fixed on Hermione.
"Point the forth, there will a fidelity spell placed upon the witch, to ensure the offsprings are of-"
"Excuse me?" Hermione demanded. Lucius' eyes behind her were glittering.
"To ensure the offsprings are of the Father's loins," the wizard continued.
"So I'm to be magically manipulated so that I must remain faithful but Malfoy can sleep with whoever he wants?" Hermione burst out. "That's absurd."
"Be grateful, girl," barked Lucius. "You are getting better than you would with a traditional Malfoy marriage contract."
"Well, I would never agree to one," Hermione snapped at him, then turned back to the wizard. "I will not agree to this!"
"Foolish girl," Lucius sneered. "You cannot accept it, can you? You may have won the war, but in life you will never defeat us. Our ways will flourish for generations and you-"
"Father," Malfoy said, and his calm tones carried. "You will leave. Mother, you as well."
Narcissa gasped. "Draco darling, what?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Mrs. Merits said, "my client has requested that we continue alone. As you are aware, magical law demands that you leave."
The air was indeed feeling thicker. With one final glare Lucius strode out, followed by Narcissa and the shark-like solicitor. As the door closed Hermione felt as though she could breathe freely again.
"Is there no way to remove the necessity for a fidelity spell?" Malfoy asked the wizard. He paused, seeming surprised to be interrupted. Apparently the wizard was more comfortable being interrupted by men, and so he answered Malfoy's question.
"No, for it has been deemed a necessity by the Ministry."
"Then we shall have to add a fidelity spell to me as well," Malfoy said blandly. "Will you agree to enforced mutual fidelity?"
Hermione furrowed her brow and cocked her head. She looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time since they entered the room together.
He looked- well. His features were aristocratic, he was slim but strong, his hair a little less shockingly white. She hadn't even noticed that unlike his father he was not wearing black. Or robes. He was wearing a grey suit, with a dark blue patterned shirt. The collar was open. He had looked well at the coffee shop too. Hermione felt warm realizing she was lingering attention on him.
Either he had changed as a person, Hermione thought, or he desperately wanted her to think that he had.
"Yes, I will," she said. It would likely do no harm, and might even help her in some future situation.
"Well then," the wizard said, "we have our first added provision!" Draco's lawyer was hurridly scribbling on some parchment.
They continued on with the contract, adding what they could. They could not use contraceptive potions or charms. They must live at the same resident, and Malfoy quickly added a provision that Hermione would get approval of wherever they did live. The law did not allow for divorce, but Hermione insisted that should the law be repealed they would be able to file for divorce. Malfoy insisted that an agreement for money be reached, despite Hermione's hot words that she did not want his money. She thought it might be to protect him, but he said that in the event of a divorce (the wizard reminded them that they would not be able to file for divorce, which Malfoy ignored) that Hermione would be granted a sum of five hundred thousand galleons.
"Malfoy, that's-" It was almost 2 and a half million pounds. "Excessive."
Malfoy almost smirked, which was a startling thing to see. It was like seeing the past him for a brief moment.
"I've been accused of being such before," he said, and flatly refused to reduce the sum.
The meeting went on for over an hour. Finally, they reached the end.
"Point the eighteenth, no parent may use grievous body harm on each other, or on the child."
Hermione snorted. What a thing to make into a law. Honestly, they were savages, all of them. As though she would let her misery affect a child.
Malfoy leaned forward. "Is it possible to extend that?"
"How so?" Mrs. Milton asked.
"I want to ensure that no family member is able to harm, physically or psychologically, the children or my wife." His gaze would meet hers, if she could bring herself to look at him. What sort of monsters were the Malfoys?
"That's- ah- not possible to write into this contract," the wizard wheezed.
"Right," Malfoy said, and leaned back. "Of course not."
Mrs. Milton was writing once again. "Your marriage contract is between the two of you. I could draw up a magically binding document for your parents, however."
Malfoy nodded. "Do so. We can discuss persuasion techniques later."
"Is there anything else?" Hermione asked. She was itching to leave, to draw a bath and open a bottle of wine and forget as best she could about today.
"No, no. We'll send you the revised copy of the contract in two days, and any further revisions are due a week from today. Your ceremony is scheduled for next Friday. Will you be marrying in the ministry?"
Hermione had not thought of the marriage. She wondered what would happen if she demanded a muggle ceremony.
"If that is alright with Hermione, we will be," Malfoy said after a long pause. Hermione nodded stiffly.
"Fine," Hermione said. She had nothing more to say, and so she stood and started to gather all of her things. Malfoy stood when she did, and crossed the room to the door. He opened it for her.
"Goodbye, Hermione," he said, and she met his eyes this time. They were calm and controlled.
"Goodbye, Draco," she said, and hurried out of the room.
She had planned to escape to her flat. But for what? She could not be alone right now or she might explode. Instead she turned back to the work that was already finished, cross-checking some research. The room was empty by the time she came up from her work and looked around.
Back in her flat Hermione exhaled. She grabbed a bottle of red off of the kitchen countertop, and started the water of her bath with a wave of her wand. There was a bath potion that turned the bubbles into rose-colored baubles that smelled of jasmine on the edge of the tub, and so Hermione added that. She piled her hair in a bun on the top of her head, and slicked some oil over the ends. She was trying to take care of herself now, because if she had to hear Luna dreamily allude to how stressed she was she might scream. She put on a muggle face mask of clay that her mum had gifted her for Christmas. It was a shame her parents would not be there to see her married. But she did not know how to explain such a thing to them, and they would only worry. She slipped into the hot water, and tried to relax into the heat.
It felt frivilous to relax like such. It felt frivolous to be so stressed out, even. She had survived a war. She had been a war criminal on the run. To worry about her fundamental human rights-
Perhaps it was not frivolous.
But Malfoy. Hermione took a deep drink of wine and turned her thoughts back to him. He seemed different. More modest, but also more confident than before. He had stood up to his parents. He had fought for her to be treated well and protected in the contract. He seemed, if not interested in her as a person, at least interested in her being respected as his wife. But was it genuine? And how could she handle being around his parents? It seemed unlikely that she would never see them again.
She could not be sure. Her conception of him in the past was a dark one, and she didn't know if she could just throw off that idea. But perhaps he had changed. She could ask around. And if it was a ploy, then what was the payoff?
She needed to stop thinking. Groping for her wand, she pointed it at the small radio in the bathroom. The WWN turned on.
"With reports of lust potions use spiking coming out from around Great Britain. Today, George Weasley of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes says that they will no longer be selling love potions, stating that with the current law mandating partners it would be cruel to continue to carry them. Not all potioneers agree. Skinner, Roe, and Rust, a small potions firm, is proudly advertising that they sell love potions. A spokesperson says-"
Hermione flicked her wand once more, and the newest song from Eye of Newt was playing from WMO.
Relax. Right.
By the time she got out of the tub she had two owls waiting for her. The first was from Harry. Apparently there were no appeals to be had.
The second was from Malfoy. It was a copy of the contract and a letter.
Hermione,
I do wish to tell you that I am truly sorry you had the rotten luck to be paired with me. If there's any way I can make this easier for you please know that I wish to help.
If you wish to talk more before next Friday, please know I am available for you.
DM
She did not want to meet Draco. Instead she had a theory to test. She didn't like being forced into this marriage. But if she was to be forced it was better to be underestimated. She called up a Muggle doctor. She had heard things about more long term birth control methods, and she wanted to be ready for battle.
a/n Thank you so much for reading, and make sure to wear a mask out there!