The Summons

Draco stared down at the Prophet, they had actually done it. The Ministry had finally lost all credibility. The war had been over for all of five years and the wizarding world was still just trying to pick up the pieces. For himself he had run from the country the moment her could. Draco had gotten as far from Britain as he could. He spent time in France first, then moved through Europe. As he became more comfortable with the Muggle world he had travelled everywhere. Finally, after four years he had come back to his ancestral home, at this exact moment he couldn't say why he thought it was a good idea. Draco had scarcely been on English soil for a full fortnight before he received a summons from the Ministry Unification and Integration Office.

Lord Draco Lucius Malfoy,

You are herby summoned to appear before the honorable Alfred Hornsby on the 7th of July 2003 at 2:30pm. You have been selected for the Unification efforts. As a member of one of the oldest wizarding families in Britain you will help lead by example. Your marriage will be finalized this day. Should you wish to propose prior, your intended is the honorable Ms. Hermione Jean Granger. Fail to appear for this summons and face the Wizengamot.

Sincerely,

Mildreth Bagfoot

Secretary for The Department of Unification and Integration

The summons fluttered out of his hands; it was a joke, it had to be. They couldn't do this to him—to her. Did they have no idea about their past. He had two weeks' notice, to propose, so she had no idea of her impending doom. He could warn her if nothing else, he could have that kind of decency. The problem being that he had no idea where to find her. Draco decided to start with Theo, he worked for the Ministry surely, he would know what department Granger was raising hell in these days. He was pacing the floor when his mother interrupted his efforts to tunnel though the carpet of his room.

"Draco dear I was just thinking of taking dinner in the city," she stopped when she noted his pained expression. Her gaze landed the official paper on the floor and she went pale. She picked it up silently and he watched her relax, relax as she read it and then smile.

"What in that letter could possibly make you smile?" Draco barked.

"First don't take that tone with me Draco Malfoy, second I saw the very official looking paper and imagined the worse, you know this could be something much more foreboding than this," she says lightly like his entire life wasn't just altered beyond repair, "Finally, Ms. Granger is a lovely young woman, and will make an excellent addition to the family."

Draco laughed until his was nearly hysterical, she couldn't be serious. When he finally caught his breath his mother's face was set in a hard line. She was serious.

"Mother, how can you possibly say what you just said with a straight face, you do remember Hermione Granger right, the girl I taunted for six years, the girl I called horrible slurs, the girl who—nearly died in our drawing room. Ring any bells, I could hardly expect her to stand in the same room as I let alone marry me. The worst part is, she doesn't know yet and I do because the Ministry is still run by patriarchal arse holes," Draco spits.

"Language Draco, I do know all of this about her. I also know you are no longer that same man. I am not saying it will be easy, but you were always prepared to marry for the family before the war. It's not like this is entirely a new concept to you. I know you have been free for the last four years, but I think that will work in your favor with her. You don't have a choice because believe that the Ministry will take your descent as treason, and you will not be slapped on the wrist," his mother's tone is final, and he knows she is right.

"Do you know how I might find her; I am not going to propose so much as I am going to warn her and I want to do it today because she deserves to know," Draco says quietly resigning himself to this fate.

"She runs a non-profit actually, she represents the interests of all manner of Magical Beings in matters before the Wizengamot. She used the money she received with her Order of Merlin to start her organization and over time she has garnered many supporters. We are one of them though she doesn't know that because I didn't want it to be a publicity stunt. I truly believe in her work, and I wanted to do something," Narcissa says curtly.

Draco is quiet; he is surprised she was not working for the Ministry and not only that she is actively fight them. Then, she had been a witness at his trial before the Wizengamot and it had surprised him too. Considering the young woman from that day he remembers very little, he had been sure he was going to Azkaban, he had been in a holding cell for over a day by the time he had been brought into the chamber and had been under constant guard in his home since the Battle of Hogwarts before his sentence was handed down. He had been in chains that day like every other Death Eater. She had not looked at him as she walked to the front of the room to speak. She only briefly met his gaze as she walked out, her expression unreadable. An involuntary shiver runs the length of his spin with the memory of that day.

"Where are her offices?" Draco askes his voice trembling still with the memories.

"London, I will give you the address," his mother said before summoning Mimsy to request her address book.

The elf is only gone for moment, before returning with the book.

Narcissa summons parchment from Draco's nearby desk to copy the address for him. She hands him the parchment, and says more gently this time, "I know this seems bleak now, but I really do see this working out for you both."

Draco shakes his head and walks to his hearth to Floo to his London flat. He had never actually lived in the place but knew he wanted something away from the Manor when he returned from travelling. He had planned to find work to occupy his time. He hadn't had a firm plan yet, but he had even toyed with the idea of going to Uni just because he could. He looked at the address again, he was fairly certain he knew where this place was, he had been to a restaurant not far from there with his mother a few years ago when he was home for Christmas. He had dragged her, and she was terrified but he assured her it would be wonderful. Watching his mother in Muggle London was fantastic, she was so out of her element, but once she got over her initial fear she was enamored with everything. It had been a wonderful Christmas Eve, one of his best memories in a long time.

Draco Apparated to an Alley near the restaurant and stepped on to the street to get his bearings. He wasn't quite sure which way he should go so he did what he had been doing for the last several years, he approached another man in a suit like his and asked for directions.

"Sir, could you help me? I need to find the DeClair building, I haven't been in this part of London in a long time, and I am turned around," Draco said in a friendly tone.

"Two blocks that way, then a left and the building is on your right you can't miss it," the man said as he gestured to the road behind Draco.

"Thank you," Draco said with a smile.

Draco began walking up the street mentally preparing himself to talk to her, would she even see him. He was nearly knocked off his feet when a woman stepped out of a café and her heel caught in crack in the step and she fell into his arms. On instinct Draco wrapped his arms around her preventing her from hitting the sidewalk.

"I've got you, are you alright ma'am," Draco said as his righted her.

"Oh, my word thank you so much, damn step nearly killed," her words died in her mouth as Hermione Granger turned to face him.

Every word Draco had rehearsed left his mind. The woman before him was the girl he had barely remembered just polished and poised, she wasn't the background member of Potter's trio she was the whole show. Draco chastised himself for such thoughts instantly. Speak you great clod.

"Ms. Granger, I know this is going to sound absolutely asinine, but I need to speak with you on a matter of great urgency," Draco decided on overly formal to be safe.

She just stared at him for a moment before finding her voice, "I am a busy woman Mr. Malfoy you will have to make an appointment," and she turned to walk away.

"Its about a recent development and a specific abomination that passed just last week," Draco said, and she stopped dead in her tracks. He could see her shoulders rise and fall quickly then. He walked toward her slowly, she stumbled slightly. Draco reached her just as she turned to face him all color drained from her face.

"Talk Malfoy," she said in a tight voice.

"Can we maybe go somewhere that is not a busy street to have this discussion?" Draco asked.

"Follow me," she says before taking off down the street toward her office building, but then turns a street sooner and continues before walking into a bar. She waves and calls the bartender by name ordering two scotch neat and heads to a booth at the back. Draco is taken off guard that Granger has a preferred mid-day bar haunt where she knows the bartender. This woman before him becomes more fascinating by the second. Draco is chastising himself again as she drops her coat and is in a sleek skirt that hugs her body and lands a few inches above the knee. Her silk blouse is soft and flowing in contrast and he finds the outfit very pleasing overall. Draco unbuttons his jacket to sit across from her. She is stony silent until Tony the bartender drops the glasses and she smiles at Tony. Her gaze turns icy as she turns to shoot daggers at Draco as Tony walks away.

Fuck this is not going to go well.

"Talk Malfoy," Granger hisses.

"I want your permission to speak first once you have read what I am about to give you," Draco says calmly.

"Fine!" she snaps.

Draco pulls his letter from his inside breast pocket. Her face becomes impossibly more ghostly. She takes a fortifying swig from her glass before snatching the letter from his hand.

Her eyes scan the page twice before she meets his gaze.

"Talk."

"I am not proposing, I am here to tell you on the same day I learned because I think you have the right to know your fate. The Ministry is run by bloody patriarchal asshats if they somehow believe this system of informing their test subjects is appropriate. I am also here to tell you I have no choice but to comply as you know, I understand any and all objects you have with me. I would expect no less. I would also like to formally apologize for all the years of taunting and slurs I flung at you. I have no excuse for such behavior, and I do not expect or desire absolution," Draco says holding her amber gaze despite the desire to run with every excruciating syllable.

She only raises her hand again and Tony freshens their glasses. Draco waits in silence taking a long drink from his glass. Finally, she speaks.

"I want to be angry at you, but I find that you have quite taken all of the wind from my sails with that speech," she presses her face into her hands before returning her gaze to his, "thank you for telling me. It was very decent of you Malfoy. I am sure this entire business is rather a surprise to you. I had heard you have been mostly out of the country for the last four years. Somewhere sunnier than here I would warrant given that you don't look like a ghost for the first time since I have known you," she actually laughs then.

Draco had no idea what he expected but this was not it.

"I actually just came back from Columbia, I was in Taiwan before that, and India before that. So yes, many places with much more sun," Draco said lightly still very confused and wrong footed from her reaction.

"Wow, you really were quite the traveler," she says with upraised brows.

Inside Draco was slightly pleased he could surprise her so. Continue to underestimate me Granger I will continue to surprise you.

"My only question remains, are you going to agree to this," Draco asked.

"Do you want to know the best part of this whole thing is, I had a feeling this would happen, the Ministry would never consider my sacrifice enough, they were always going to require more and when I refused every Ministry job, I was handed I should have known they would make an example of me. Fuck Shacklebolt," she says the last part almost under her breath.

Draco laughs then and her eyes snap up to his.

"Granger, do you kiss your mother with that mouth," Draco teases but it was the wrong thing to say, as something flashes across her face before she schools her expression Draco lets it drop for now. He would follow up on that but now is not the moment.

"Granger, I will make this as unintrusive as possible, I do not want to stand in your way. My mother informed you run a non-profit to represent all manner of Magical Beings before the Wizengamot. I think it was a perfect choice of career given your passion for the oppressed and underserved," he hopes his tone is earnest because he truly means it.

She searches his face and seems to find nothing objectionable. He breathes a sigh of relief when she drops her gaze again. She takes another drink.

"I have been fighting this law from the beginning to no avail. Every one of my objections have fallen on deaf ears I finally had to give up last year because I was starting to lose pull within the Wizengamot for my clients. I hated that once again I had to sacrifice my personal fight for the good of others," She says with a bitterness that surprises him, as she takes another long drink.

Draco places a long finger on her glass, and it refills, she meets his gaze with an arched brow. Draco just shrugs.

"So, let's, do this and take them down, play the game so well they never see us coming," Draco says raising his glass in salute. She eyes him warily, before clinking her glass with his.

"Then I want nothing short of the most ridiculous proposal," Granger says and shocks him so much he actually chokes.

"Alright, I can make that happen, I just want assurances I won't be murdered by a Weasel or Potter for proposing," Draco says cautiously. Granger snorts.

"I will handle them, Harry is actually a bit on my shit list at the moment, he is angling for Head Auror you see so he is all on board with this initiative, must be nice to be exempt because you are already married. Ronald on the other hand, we have been separated for years after he wanted me to get married and start having babies. Then just six months ago he comes to me to propose we get married now just to spare me from this. I turned him down because being married out of pity was the worst scenario I could ever imagine and I am including the actual outcome," she says as her amber eyes flick up to his.

That was a very intimate confession he realized, and he had nothing adequate to says so he merely held her gaze to convey that he heard her and understood. Finally, he felt the moment pass and he spoke.

"So, when do you want this grand proposal? I am entirely at your leisure Granger," Draco said with a conspiratorial smile.