CHAPTER 3: PARTIES AND SURPRISES
Hermione was sitting on a couch in her bedroom, reading a book. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts were about her new home and her parents. Yes, they were rich, very rich. Maybe even richer than the Malfoys, she thought. Her dad was everything a cool dad could be and her mom was stunning and pretty. They were both kind and loving parents and that's what mattered to her.
She looked around the room and remembered waking up early that morning shrieking as to why she was in a mansion or something, but then remembered this is her new home. It was indeed very hard for her to believe.
Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," she said. She expected it to be Belle or the other maids, but to her astonishment, it was her dad.
"Hey dad," Hermione greeted.
"You ok there?" Mr. Finlay asked.
"Yeah. I like this room very much," Hermione told him.
"Good. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. And oh, did I mention we're going to have a party tonight?" Mr. Finlay said.
"A party?" Hermione said, looking confused.
"Yeah. A welcome party for you. We want everybody to finally know and recognize the only Finlay heiress," Mr. Finlay told his daughter.
"Heiress?" Hermione said. She hadn't thought of that.
"Yup. Anyway, your appointed personal maid is going here later to fix you up for the party. Many rich people are coming, and there's also the press, so you better get ready," Mr. Finlay said and before Hermione could argue, he was gone. She slumped on the couch and groaned. "Party? Press? People? Uh-oh, I don't think I can manage," she said weakly.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," came the muffled voice of Lord Finlay's daughter.
Belle and several other maids opened the door and saw the lady whose eyes were on the screen, busy with that weird device called a computer.
"Oh, Belle," Hermione said as she turned and finally looked at them. "What is it?"
"I am sorry to bother you, Madame, but Lord and Mistress Finlay ordered us to prepare you for tonight's party. Surely you have been informed?" Belle said with the same amount of respect and politeness in her voice whenever she talked with such high class people.
"Oh! Funny me, I almost forgot!" Hermione said, stifling a laugh. "Just give me a second to shut this thing off."
The maids watched in amazement as Hermione quickly shut off her computer. "So, should we get started?" she asked.
The servants nodded and first dragged her to the bathroom and into the bathtub. After a long time of scrubbing and soaking, they headed for the dressing room where Hermione had to choose among the many clothes she could wear. Then came the job of the make-up artist and the hairstylist. It took them what seemed like hours that when Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"OH. MY. GOSH." Hermione said. She wore a midnight blue corset that showed off her nice curves. Her hair was still wavy and untied, although some strands were given an extra curl to have that charming princess look. She realized she was wearing a pure gold necklace with lots of crystals and gems dangling on it with matching earrings and bracelet. Her face was glowing with her cheeks rosier than before and her pouting lips were shimmering pink. In short, she looked dead gorgeous.
The maids, proud of her work, took a still dazed Hermione to the room on the 59th floor where the party was being held. As soon as she stepped foot inside, the chattering stopped and all eyes were on her.
It was Mr. Finlay that broke the silence. "I would like to present my lovely daughter, none other than Miss Francesca Razelle Finlay."
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Hermione was then greeted by many people that she was forced to shake their hands and say things like "How do you do?" She could very well see that they were rich people judging from their appearance to the way they carry themselves. Then came another dilemma: the press. Cameras flashed while reporters raised their microphones for a brief interview with the Finlay heiress. When everybody else seemed to be busy, she took it as a cue and went to a quiet corner of the room and just contentedly sipped her champagne.
"Pretty bored, are you?" said someone just behind her. She turned around to see a girl her age, with blue eyes and sandy blond hair.
"Yeah," Hermione replied.
The girl smiled. "Hi, my name's Penelope. Penelope Foxburn," she introduced, shaking Hermione's hand. "Razelle, right?"
Hermione nodded. "Your name sounds familiar...I must have read about it in the Daily Prophet or something," she said, racking her brains and thinking hard.
Penelope grinned. "Yup, must be my dad. He was a Death Eater brought to Azkaban," she explained.
"Oh, sorry," Hermione said.
"It's ok. You're lucky your parents didn't join the Dark Lord," Penelope said.
Hermione didn't know what to say. Instead, she decided to change the subject. "So is it always like this during parties and special occasions?" she asked.
"Oh, you bet. Before I was bored too, but then I got used to it. You will too, don't worry," Penelope said.
"Right," Hermione said. "Just a few days in this house and it gets all boring, especially with no one to talk to except the maids and my parents who're always busy."
"Yeah, just like what I thought," Penelope said. "If you want, I can visit you here sometimes and introduce you to my friends."
Hermione's face brightened. "Really? That would be great!" she said. She was really grateful for this girl, she was kind, sweet and friendly.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this little chat, but Pen, your mom's calling you," someone said. Both girls looked up and saw a black haired guy. Hermione thought he was cute, only he wore a smirk on his face.
"Sorry, Razelle, I'm probably needed. I'll just get back to you later, ok? And Jared, you keep her company," Penelope said, looking expectantly at the guy.
"Ok, see you later," Hermione told her and watched as her new friend go away.
"So, how's the new lady of the house?" the guy asked, leaning against the wall and looking at her with his mysterious black eyes.
"Uh, fine," Hermione said. "How about you? Are you enjoying?"
"Oh, yeah. Pretty cool place you have here. By the way, I'm Jared Dugsmith," he said, offering her his hand.
Hermione shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said. "And you're Penelope's....?"
"Fiance," Jared supplied.
"Oh, really? When are you gonna get married?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know...maybe next month? Until then, me and Pen are savoring our freedom," Jared said.
Hermione looked confused. "You're not sure when you'll get married?! And what do you mean by savoring your freedom," she asked.
Jared chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot you're new in the elite family. Well, let's just put it this way. Arranged marriage," he said.
"Oh," Hermione replied. Now it all made sense to her. "So you don't love her?"
"No. But she's my friend so don't worry, I'm not gonna harm her," Jared assured her.
Hermione nodded. "But why don't you guys object? Express your own feelings?" she asked.
Jared sighed. "I wish I could do that. But that's the disadvantage of growing up with your folks. You get trained on how to act and to just say yes to whatever they tell you. And besides, what's the point? They won't listen to us anyway. And let me tell you, every rich pureblood had already tried. But they end up suffering the same fate as me," he said.
"But that's unfair!" Hermione told him.
"Yeah. So, a little advice, better make us of your free time, Razelle, before your day comes," Jared said.
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean, my day? Surely I'm not going to be engaged to someone I don't like, right?" she said.
Jared smiled. "Yeah right. Show me a miracle," he said.
"Are you making fun of me?" Hermione said hotly.
"Hey, no I'm not. But face it, sooner or later you'll get engaged with the wrong guy, or if you're lucky, the right one for you," Jared said.
Hermione shook her head. "No, that will never happen. My parents can't do that to me. They simply can't because they love me and they know that I'm not going agree with them," she told him.
"Alright, believe what you want to believe," Jared said.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione glanced around to see who or what was making that tapping noise. She glanced around to see Pegasus, Ron's new owl. His girlfriend Lavender gave it to him just last week and he was extremely happy to hand Pig to Ginny. She let the owl in and took the letter from its beak.
Hermione,
Hey! How are you doing? I hope you're parents had been treating you nicely because if they are like the Malfoys, we won't have second thoughts to bring you back here. You see, mum and Ginny are pretty worried and anxious to see you. Girls. I mean, you and Ginny just saw each other a few days ago and she was hoping she could meet you and go shopping. Yuck. Anyway, Fred and George are pretty busy planning their wedding. I pity their fiancées. How unlucky they must be. But I must admit, they're pretty cool and decent. It's a complete mystery that they could stand those twins. By the way, have you seen the new broomstick on the market, Rocketbeam? Oh, it's absolutely cool! Harry and I are planning to buy one. And the new menu on the Three Broomsticks, so mouthwatering!
So, just take care okay? And oh, Ginny told me to tell you to owl her. Hope to hear from you soon.
Ron
Hermione laughed silently, shaking her head. "He hadn't changed, still talking about Quidditch and food," she thought to herself. She glanced at Pegasus who was looking at her expectantly. She sighed. "Ok, fine," she muttered. She gave the owl some treats before it gladly took off.
Then, she remembered her parents told her to meet them somewhere in the 3rd floor so she quickly dashed there, thanks to the maids who toured her around the compound so she will know where to go. She knocked on the door and found her parents sitting on a sofa, comfortably sipping coffee.
"Mom? Dad? You said you wanted to talk to me?" Hermione said.
Her parents looked up. "Oh, yes, please sit down, dear," Mrs. Finlay said.
Hermione obediently did so. "I have something to tell you too," she said.
"Oh, alright. You go first," Mr. Finlay said as he took a sip of his coffee.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Well, you know I used to work at the Muggle world as a fashion designer, right?" she said.
Her parents nodded.
"Now that I'm living here that means I'll have to find another job."
"That's what we want to talk about with you, too. Your future," Mr. Finlay told her.
"Oh," Hermione mumbled. "Well?"
"I did mention at last night's party that you're the only heiress to the Finlay fortune, right?" Mr. Finlay said.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Yes, but you didn't put it that way," she said.
"I know you're still adjusting to this new lifestyle, hon, but it'll have to push through. You have to understand, you're our only child, when we're gone, you'll take our place in the wizarding world and so from now on, things are going to be different and you'll never be the same Hermione Granger again," Mrs. Finlay explained.
Hermione was about to protest but realized it was pointless because it wouldn't change her fate, her destiny. "Alright, I accept," she said.
Mr. and Mrs. Finlay's eyes widened and they smiled gratefully at her. "I knew it was a tough choice to make..." Mr. Finlay said. "So...you'll be helping me with business starting tomorrow. Financial problems and such."
This made Hermione smile. "You bet! I love arithmacy," she said eagerly. Maybe being a heiress isn't so bad after all, she thought.
"And must I remind you you'll have to appear in public more often? You'll have tons of interviews and your life will be in newspapers and magazines...There'll be more parties and-"
"Mom, Dad, I'll be ok. Don't worry, I get what you mean," Hermione interrupted.
"Ok. Another thing, Razelle...This will be quite a shock and I don't know if you could handle the news. You see, an...arranged marriage-"
"Oh, mom, dad! Do you know Penelope Foxburn and Jared Dugsmith? Well, their parents arranged their marriage. How terrible! I mean, controlling them like robots, like they don't have feelings. Anyway, Jared told me my time will come but I told him that you'll never do such a thing," Hermione interrupted again, this time laughing.
Her parents stared at each other nervously.
"What's-the matter? I'm...sorry I interrupted you and..." Hermione said.
"No, you didn't do anything. In fact, Razelle, honey, we're the ones who should say sorry. You see, you already have...a future husband," Mr. Finlay managed to say.
Hermione stared at her parents for a while. Then she broke into a grin. "Oh, mom, dad, stop kidding around! Don't scare me!" she said, placing her hand on her chest.
"I'm sorry, honey. We are serious," Mrs. Finlay said quietly. "Let me explain. When we were finishing our last year at Hogwarts, me and your father made a pact with our best friends. They, like us, were arranged to be married right after graduation, so the pact was...if ever our children turns out to be a boy and a girl, they would have to marry each other. When I gave birth to you, we told them all about you, being raised by Muggles and all that. They were disappointed that we couldn't raise you ourselves, but knew what would happen if my father found out, so they remained silent. But when my father died, we started looking for you, but didn't find you until now. I hope you understand, honey. Even though we disagree, we couldn't do anything. A pact is a pact and can never be broken."
There were lots of questions in Hermione's mind. "I thought my Muggle mother was your only best friend?" she asked.
"She was, and will only be. But my father told me not to socialize with mud- Muggle borns. So I had to befriend purebloods and that was how I met my other best friends, with secretly seeing your mother lots of times."
"But you can't do that to me! You can't!" Hermione cried, now remembering what her future will be. "Do I look like a pet that can be given and handed down to anyone or anywhere else?"
Mr. and Mrs. Finlay embraced her tight, hoping she will calm down. After a few minutes of crying, she did stop.
"We're really, really, sorry, Razelle. We can't break our promise," Mr. Finlay said softly.
For a while, all Hermione's anger faded when she saw her parents' faces. They were full of guilt and sorrow. She didn't want tot see them like that. It took a long time before she could say, "Ok, I accept." Maybe I'm really possessed, she thought.
Another flood of tears streamed down her parents' faces as they embraced her again. "Oh, honey..." Mrs. Finlay said.
After another crying session and sentimental moments, Hermione went to her room and cried her heart out. "Goodbye Hermione, Hello Razelle," she said bitterly.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
The Finlays were all gathered round the living room of Hermione's future husband's mansion. Her parents had told her they were going to visit her fiance's family. She observed the room and thought it as very elegant, although her parents had explained that they were still the richest family in the wizarding world.
"Now, here comes your fiancé and his family, Razelle. Please behave," Mrs. Finlay whispered in Hermione's ear.
She looked up and there enough walking dignified down the stairs were her fiancé and family, all clad in expensive looking clothes. As they descended down the stairs, Hermione had a better look of her future husband. She saw a familiar pair of blue-gray eyes and blond hair. Her jaw dropped as realization dawned over her. Her fiancé was none other than Draco Malfoy!
Oh my God, she thought. She glanced to her left and saw Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy hugging her parents. Oh, no....she thought again.
Then she did the only thing she could do. She fainted.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Oh, so sorry if it took me forever to post this one. And yes, this is sooooo boring and long, like my other chappies! Heh, so much for fun....Reviews plz....
.PiNK NeoN
Hermione was sitting on a couch in her bedroom, reading a book. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts were about her new home and her parents. Yes, they were rich, very rich. Maybe even richer than the Malfoys, she thought. Her dad was everything a cool dad could be and her mom was stunning and pretty. They were both kind and loving parents and that's what mattered to her.
She looked around the room and remembered waking up early that morning shrieking as to why she was in a mansion or something, but then remembered this is her new home. It was indeed very hard for her to believe.
Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," she said. She expected it to be Belle or the other maids, but to her astonishment, it was her dad.
"Hey dad," Hermione greeted.
"You ok there?" Mr. Finlay asked.
"Yeah. I like this room very much," Hermione told him.
"Good. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. And oh, did I mention we're going to have a party tonight?" Mr. Finlay said.
"A party?" Hermione said, looking confused.
"Yeah. A welcome party for you. We want everybody to finally know and recognize the only Finlay heiress," Mr. Finlay told his daughter.
"Heiress?" Hermione said. She hadn't thought of that.
"Yup. Anyway, your appointed personal maid is going here later to fix you up for the party. Many rich people are coming, and there's also the press, so you better get ready," Mr. Finlay said and before Hermione could argue, he was gone. She slumped on the couch and groaned. "Party? Press? People? Uh-oh, I don't think I can manage," she said weakly.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," came the muffled voice of Lord Finlay's daughter.
Belle and several other maids opened the door and saw the lady whose eyes were on the screen, busy with that weird device called a computer.
"Oh, Belle," Hermione said as she turned and finally looked at them. "What is it?"
"I am sorry to bother you, Madame, but Lord and Mistress Finlay ordered us to prepare you for tonight's party. Surely you have been informed?" Belle said with the same amount of respect and politeness in her voice whenever she talked with such high class people.
"Oh! Funny me, I almost forgot!" Hermione said, stifling a laugh. "Just give me a second to shut this thing off."
The maids watched in amazement as Hermione quickly shut off her computer. "So, should we get started?" she asked.
The servants nodded and first dragged her to the bathroom and into the bathtub. After a long time of scrubbing and soaking, they headed for the dressing room where Hermione had to choose among the many clothes she could wear. Then came the job of the make-up artist and the hairstylist. It took them what seemed like hours that when Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"OH. MY. GOSH." Hermione said. She wore a midnight blue corset that showed off her nice curves. Her hair was still wavy and untied, although some strands were given an extra curl to have that charming princess look. She realized she was wearing a pure gold necklace with lots of crystals and gems dangling on it with matching earrings and bracelet. Her face was glowing with her cheeks rosier than before and her pouting lips were shimmering pink. In short, she looked dead gorgeous.
The maids, proud of her work, took a still dazed Hermione to the room on the 59th floor where the party was being held. As soon as she stepped foot inside, the chattering stopped and all eyes were on her.
It was Mr. Finlay that broke the silence. "I would like to present my lovely daughter, none other than Miss Francesca Razelle Finlay."
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Hermione was then greeted by many people that she was forced to shake their hands and say things like "How do you do?" She could very well see that they were rich people judging from their appearance to the way they carry themselves. Then came another dilemma: the press. Cameras flashed while reporters raised their microphones for a brief interview with the Finlay heiress. When everybody else seemed to be busy, she took it as a cue and went to a quiet corner of the room and just contentedly sipped her champagne.
"Pretty bored, are you?" said someone just behind her. She turned around to see a girl her age, with blue eyes and sandy blond hair.
"Yeah," Hermione replied.
The girl smiled. "Hi, my name's Penelope. Penelope Foxburn," she introduced, shaking Hermione's hand. "Razelle, right?"
Hermione nodded. "Your name sounds familiar...I must have read about it in the Daily Prophet or something," she said, racking her brains and thinking hard.
Penelope grinned. "Yup, must be my dad. He was a Death Eater brought to Azkaban," she explained.
"Oh, sorry," Hermione said.
"It's ok. You're lucky your parents didn't join the Dark Lord," Penelope said.
Hermione didn't know what to say. Instead, she decided to change the subject. "So is it always like this during parties and special occasions?" she asked.
"Oh, you bet. Before I was bored too, but then I got used to it. You will too, don't worry," Penelope said.
"Right," Hermione said. "Just a few days in this house and it gets all boring, especially with no one to talk to except the maids and my parents who're always busy."
"Yeah, just like what I thought," Penelope said. "If you want, I can visit you here sometimes and introduce you to my friends."
Hermione's face brightened. "Really? That would be great!" she said. She was really grateful for this girl, she was kind, sweet and friendly.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this little chat, but Pen, your mom's calling you," someone said. Both girls looked up and saw a black haired guy. Hermione thought he was cute, only he wore a smirk on his face.
"Sorry, Razelle, I'm probably needed. I'll just get back to you later, ok? And Jared, you keep her company," Penelope said, looking expectantly at the guy.
"Ok, see you later," Hermione told her and watched as her new friend go away.
"So, how's the new lady of the house?" the guy asked, leaning against the wall and looking at her with his mysterious black eyes.
"Uh, fine," Hermione said. "How about you? Are you enjoying?"
"Oh, yeah. Pretty cool place you have here. By the way, I'm Jared Dugsmith," he said, offering her his hand.
Hermione shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said. "And you're Penelope's....?"
"Fiance," Jared supplied.
"Oh, really? When are you gonna get married?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know...maybe next month? Until then, me and Pen are savoring our freedom," Jared said.
Hermione looked confused. "You're not sure when you'll get married?! And what do you mean by savoring your freedom," she asked.
Jared chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot you're new in the elite family. Well, let's just put it this way. Arranged marriage," he said.
"Oh," Hermione replied. Now it all made sense to her. "So you don't love her?"
"No. But she's my friend so don't worry, I'm not gonna harm her," Jared assured her.
Hermione nodded. "But why don't you guys object? Express your own feelings?" she asked.
Jared sighed. "I wish I could do that. But that's the disadvantage of growing up with your folks. You get trained on how to act and to just say yes to whatever they tell you. And besides, what's the point? They won't listen to us anyway. And let me tell you, every rich pureblood had already tried. But they end up suffering the same fate as me," he said.
"But that's unfair!" Hermione told him.
"Yeah. So, a little advice, better make us of your free time, Razelle, before your day comes," Jared said.
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean, my day? Surely I'm not going to be engaged to someone I don't like, right?" she said.
Jared smiled. "Yeah right. Show me a miracle," he said.
"Are you making fun of me?" Hermione said hotly.
"Hey, no I'm not. But face it, sooner or later you'll get engaged with the wrong guy, or if you're lucky, the right one for you," Jared said.
Hermione shook her head. "No, that will never happen. My parents can't do that to me. They simply can't because they love me and they know that I'm not going agree with them," she told him.
"Alright, believe what you want to believe," Jared said.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione glanced around to see who or what was making that tapping noise. She glanced around to see Pegasus, Ron's new owl. His girlfriend Lavender gave it to him just last week and he was extremely happy to hand Pig to Ginny. She let the owl in and took the letter from its beak.
Hermione,
Hey! How are you doing? I hope you're parents had been treating you nicely because if they are like the Malfoys, we won't have second thoughts to bring you back here. You see, mum and Ginny are pretty worried and anxious to see you. Girls. I mean, you and Ginny just saw each other a few days ago and she was hoping she could meet you and go shopping. Yuck. Anyway, Fred and George are pretty busy planning their wedding. I pity their fiancées. How unlucky they must be. But I must admit, they're pretty cool and decent. It's a complete mystery that they could stand those twins. By the way, have you seen the new broomstick on the market, Rocketbeam? Oh, it's absolutely cool! Harry and I are planning to buy one. And the new menu on the Three Broomsticks, so mouthwatering!
So, just take care okay? And oh, Ginny told me to tell you to owl her. Hope to hear from you soon.
Ron
Hermione laughed silently, shaking her head. "He hadn't changed, still talking about Quidditch and food," she thought to herself. She glanced at Pegasus who was looking at her expectantly. She sighed. "Ok, fine," she muttered. She gave the owl some treats before it gladly took off.
Then, she remembered her parents told her to meet them somewhere in the 3rd floor so she quickly dashed there, thanks to the maids who toured her around the compound so she will know where to go. She knocked on the door and found her parents sitting on a sofa, comfortably sipping coffee.
"Mom? Dad? You said you wanted to talk to me?" Hermione said.
Her parents looked up. "Oh, yes, please sit down, dear," Mrs. Finlay said.
Hermione obediently did so. "I have something to tell you too," she said.
"Oh, alright. You go first," Mr. Finlay said as he took a sip of his coffee.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Well, you know I used to work at the Muggle world as a fashion designer, right?" she said.
Her parents nodded.
"Now that I'm living here that means I'll have to find another job."
"That's what we want to talk about with you, too. Your future," Mr. Finlay told her.
"Oh," Hermione mumbled. "Well?"
"I did mention at last night's party that you're the only heiress to the Finlay fortune, right?" Mr. Finlay said.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Yes, but you didn't put it that way," she said.
"I know you're still adjusting to this new lifestyle, hon, but it'll have to push through. You have to understand, you're our only child, when we're gone, you'll take our place in the wizarding world and so from now on, things are going to be different and you'll never be the same Hermione Granger again," Mrs. Finlay explained.
Hermione was about to protest but realized it was pointless because it wouldn't change her fate, her destiny. "Alright, I accept," she said.
Mr. and Mrs. Finlay's eyes widened and they smiled gratefully at her. "I knew it was a tough choice to make..." Mr. Finlay said. "So...you'll be helping me with business starting tomorrow. Financial problems and such."
This made Hermione smile. "You bet! I love arithmacy," she said eagerly. Maybe being a heiress isn't so bad after all, she thought.
"And must I remind you you'll have to appear in public more often? You'll have tons of interviews and your life will be in newspapers and magazines...There'll be more parties and-"
"Mom, Dad, I'll be ok. Don't worry, I get what you mean," Hermione interrupted.
"Ok. Another thing, Razelle...This will be quite a shock and I don't know if you could handle the news. You see, an...arranged marriage-"
"Oh, mom, dad! Do you know Penelope Foxburn and Jared Dugsmith? Well, their parents arranged their marriage. How terrible! I mean, controlling them like robots, like they don't have feelings. Anyway, Jared told me my time will come but I told him that you'll never do such a thing," Hermione interrupted again, this time laughing.
Her parents stared at each other nervously.
"What's-the matter? I'm...sorry I interrupted you and..." Hermione said.
"No, you didn't do anything. In fact, Razelle, honey, we're the ones who should say sorry. You see, you already have...a future husband," Mr. Finlay managed to say.
Hermione stared at her parents for a while. Then she broke into a grin. "Oh, mom, dad, stop kidding around! Don't scare me!" she said, placing her hand on her chest.
"I'm sorry, honey. We are serious," Mrs. Finlay said quietly. "Let me explain. When we were finishing our last year at Hogwarts, me and your father made a pact with our best friends. They, like us, were arranged to be married right after graduation, so the pact was...if ever our children turns out to be a boy and a girl, they would have to marry each other. When I gave birth to you, we told them all about you, being raised by Muggles and all that. They were disappointed that we couldn't raise you ourselves, but knew what would happen if my father found out, so they remained silent. But when my father died, we started looking for you, but didn't find you until now. I hope you understand, honey. Even though we disagree, we couldn't do anything. A pact is a pact and can never be broken."
There were lots of questions in Hermione's mind. "I thought my Muggle mother was your only best friend?" she asked.
"She was, and will only be. But my father told me not to socialize with mud- Muggle borns. So I had to befriend purebloods and that was how I met my other best friends, with secretly seeing your mother lots of times."
"But you can't do that to me! You can't!" Hermione cried, now remembering what her future will be. "Do I look like a pet that can be given and handed down to anyone or anywhere else?"
Mr. and Mrs. Finlay embraced her tight, hoping she will calm down. After a few minutes of crying, she did stop.
"We're really, really, sorry, Razelle. We can't break our promise," Mr. Finlay said softly.
For a while, all Hermione's anger faded when she saw her parents' faces. They were full of guilt and sorrow. She didn't want tot see them like that. It took a long time before she could say, "Ok, I accept." Maybe I'm really possessed, she thought.
Another flood of tears streamed down her parents' faces as they embraced her again. "Oh, honey..." Mrs. Finlay said.
After another crying session and sentimental moments, Hermione went to her room and cried her heart out. "Goodbye Hermione, Hello Razelle," she said bitterly.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
The Finlays were all gathered round the living room of Hermione's future husband's mansion. Her parents had told her they were going to visit her fiance's family. She observed the room and thought it as very elegant, although her parents had explained that they were still the richest family in the wizarding world.
"Now, here comes your fiancé and his family, Razelle. Please behave," Mrs. Finlay whispered in Hermione's ear.
She looked up and there enough walking dignified down the stairs were her fiancé and family, all clad in expensive looking clothes. As they descended down the stairs, Hermione had a better look of her future husband. She saw a familiar pair of blue-gray eyes and blond hair. Her jaw dropped as realization dawned over her. Her fiancé was none other than Draco Malfoy!
Oh my God, she thought. She glanced to her left and saw Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy hugging her parents. Oh, no....she thought again.
Then she did the only thing she could do. She fainted.
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Oh, so sorry if it took me forever to post this one. And yes, this is sooooo boring and long, like my other chappies! Heh, so much for fun....Reviews plz....
.PiNK NeoN