DISCLAIMER: Hermione, Severus, Draco and all their friends belong to JK
Rowling, Scholastic Books and everyone else with a copyright. I'm just
letting them out to play a bit 'til the next book or movie comes out and
they have to get back to their day jobs.
"A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together.
It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences."
- Dave Meurer
Chapter 2
Dumbledore stifled a laugh and looked grave. "Really, Miss Granger. It doesn't do to have the Head Girl calling the Head Boy names, no matter how upsetting you may find the present situation."
Hermione scowled. "Fine. Then do you know what this is? It's an offer of marriage from that evil, arrogant, untrustworthy git Lucius Malfoy on behalf of his son. The nerve of that man! How could he possibly do something this...this...insane?"
The headmaster settled back in his chair, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Mr. Malfoy is following protocol, I'm afraid. Young Draco may be eighteen, but his father is still the Head of the House of Malfoy, and all offers of marriage should, by rights, come from him."
"I don't care! It's...it's...OUTRAGEOUS! After everything he's done, everything he's said, now he decides he wants me to marry that demon spawn of a son of his? I don't think so! I'll break my wand myself and go live as a muggle before I agree to have that bastard as a father-in-law!" Hermione's hands were shaking as she folded the offending parchments and stuffed them into her robes.
"Language, Miss Granger! I would hate to have to take house points." Dumbledore looked sternly over his glasses at the girl in front of him. "Please, I beg you, outbursts such as this do not help the situation. Purposely breaking one's wand is a serious act with severe magical consequences, and should not even be spoken of in haste."
Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "You're right, sir. I'm sorry. It would be better to put my energy into finding a way out of this whole nightmare." She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully. "The Ministry obviously knows I received the offer. Since today is Monday, I have until two weeks from this Friday to find a way out of this, or to accept another offer. Maybe Ron..." Her heart twisted a little in her chest at the thought. She'd worked so hard to keep their friendship intact after he'd confessed his feelings for her last summer. Telling him she didn't love him the same way he professed to love her had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. Marrying him could destroy their friendship - and both of them as well.
"I'm afraid young Mr. Weasley has some months to go before he is eighteen. He cannot make an offer for your hand before the Ministry deadline," the headmaster informed her matter of factly.
"But Malfoy is only - wait, you said he was already eighteen! How can that be?" Hermione looked at the older man suspiciously.
"Draco started at Hogwart's a bit later than usual, at his father's request. He was schooled privately before coming to us, and Mr. Malfoy wanted the boy to complete his course of instruction before sending him to school."
Hermione huffed softly. "I bet I know just the sort of thing they were teaching him." Given that she had already been reprimanded twice, she decided not to elaborate.
"Miss Granger." The headmaster leaned forward, forearms on his desk, hands folded, the lenses of his glasses sparkling a bit in the soft light. "Give yourself some time to adjust to the situation and think about things. It is almost time for the evening meal. Eat. Enjoy time with your friends. Get a good night's rest. Things have a way of working themselves out if you give them time." He rose and before she realized what was happening she found herself standing in front of the staircase alcove again.
"Um...thank you, Professor." She wasn't quite sure what she was thanking him for, but her inborn sense of propriety dictated she say it anyway.
"You're welcome, child. If you have any questions, or need anyone to talk to, please feel free to come and see me or Professor McGonagall at any time." Noting her look of horror, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder in reassurance. "As your Head of House, the professor must be informed of the situation. Please, do not worry yourself; her sense of discretion is impeccable."
Hermione nodded her head. "I trust her - I do. It's just...I really don't want the whole school to know. It's bad enough I'm going to have to tell Harry and Ron about all this. I don't think I could stand all the gossip, especially if everyone finds out about Malfoy." She spit the name out in disgust.
"I'm afraid, Miss Granger, that you aren't going to be able to keep the fact that your name is on the Marriage Eligibility List a secret for very long. I advise you to give some thought to how you wish to handle the attention before the fact becomes common knowledge. Now run along before we are both missed in the Great Hall." Dumbledore smiled at her benevolently and she found herself trying to smile back.
"Good evening, Professor."
Good evening, Miss Granger."
As she turned to step into the staircase alcove and begin her descent, her attention was caught by the headmaster's outstretched arm.
"Lemon drop?"
Darn. She had almost gotten away this time.
Hermione moved down the corridor towards the Great Hall, totally oblivious to the other students around her. More than a few moved quickly out of her way to avoid being run over, and no one acknowledged her passing. Everyone knew what that look on her face meant. Hermione Granger was Thinking, and interrupting her would only get your head bitten off.
She was within sight of the doors to the Great Hall when she was pulled up short by a sharp tug on her robe.
"Oy! Hermione!" The fingers didn't let go, just tugged harder. "Wait up! Didn't you hear us calling you? We've been chasing you through half the bloody castle!"
She turned and looked up into the flushed face of her best friend, the red blush on his cheeks making his freckles stand out in sharp relief. She smiled at him and he dropped his hold on her robe, scrubbing his hand through his disheveled hair as the blush grew stronger.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't hear you. I was thinking about something."
Hermione felt a hand drop on her shoulder. "Is something wrong, Hermione?" She turned to Harry, a denial on her lips, but it died when she saw the concerned look in his eyes.
"Nothing that can't wait, Harry. I'll tell you later, I promise." Harry and Ron automatically fell into their usual places on either side of her, and they continued on towards the Great Hall. Hermione tried to pay attention to the conversation, to stop thinking about the contents of the parchment that kept sticking into her side through her robes, but it wasn't easy. She had to force herself to focus and actually concentrate on making sense of the words her friends were saying.
Which is why she didn't notice when the boys stopped moving. If Harry hadn't caught her around the waist, stopping her, she would have gone barreling into the body that was standing in front of her. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the words died on her lips as looked up and caught a glimpse of steel blue eyes. She swayed a little and Harry's grip tightened, steadying her.
"Move, Malfoy." Harry's voice was neutral. It had been a year since the unspoken truce had been declared between the trio and Malfoy and his followers, and the rules dictated neither courtesy nor outright hostility. The younger Malfoy, much to the surprise of Harry and his friends, hadn't aided the Death Eaters in the final battle with Voldemorte the year before, but he hadn't actively opposed them, either. An uneasy détente had been reached after Voldemorte's fall, one that all parties carefully observed.
"In a minute, Potter." Draco's eyes flicked briefly over Harry before coming to rest on Hermione's face. "I believe you and I have something to talk about, Granger." Her heart dropped at his words. She should have expected this, but she hadn't had time to think it all through yet. She just couldn't do this. She wasn't ready.
"Granger? Are you listening to me?" Her breath caught in her throat as a half smile graced his lips, and she to forced herself to move her gaze from his mouth and look up into his eyes, only to find herself wondering, yet again, exactly what colour they were. He really had the most extraordinary eyes, neither grey, nor blue, but some uncanny combination. As his smile grew, she silently cursed herself and her damn hormones. It didn't matter what colour his eyes were or how good looking he was, didn't they realize this was no time to be distracted?
She tilted her chin up and folded her arms in front of her chest. "You must be mistaken, Malfoy. We have nothing to talk about. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to be late for dinner."
Harry stepped forward as Draco's eyes narrowed, but the blond cut him off before he could speak. "Your choice. If you really want to hold this conversation out here with an audience, I have no problem with that, but propriety dictates that any discussion of mar -"
"Fine!" Hermione's voice was high and strained. "We'll talk. Later."
"Later," Draco agreed with a self satisfied smirk. "I'll meet you in our common room after rounds. And Granger..." His voice held a note of warning. "Don't try and hide, or we'll have our little discussion over breakfast tomorrow in the Great Hall." He nodded his head at Harry and Ron perfunctorily. "Potter. Weasley." He managed to drag the redhead's name out and twist the sound to make it an aspersion.
Hermione sighed with relief as Draco turned and headed towards the Great Hall, waiting until he had a good head start before following him. Harry and Ron hurried to catch up with her. She carefully avoided looking at either of them, still conscious of their puzzled looks, and wasn't surprised when Harry cleared his throat. As usual, he was the one elected to deal with her when things were difficult. "Hermione."
"After dinner, Harry. Please. I'll tell you everything after dinner." Ron opened the door to the Great Hall and stood back to let her pass. She looked up at him and smiled in thanks, trying not to feel guilty over the worried look on his face.
She didn't know who she was looking forward to talking to less tonight, Harry and Ron, or Malfoy.
"A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together.
It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences."
- Dave Meurer
Chapter 2
Dumbledore stifled a laugh and looked grave. "Really, Miss Granger. It doesn't do to have the Head Girl calling the Head Boy names, no matter how upsetting you may find the present situation."
Hermione scowled. "Fine. Then do you know what this is? It's an offer of marriage from that evil, arrogant, untrustworthy git Lucius Malfoy on behalf of his son. The nerve of that man! How could he possibly do something this...this...insane?"
The headmaster settled back in his chair, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Mr. Malfoy is following protocol, I'm afraid. Young Draco may be eighteen, but his father is still the Head of the House of Malfoy, and all offers of marriage should, by rights, come from him."
"I don't care! It's...it's...OUTRAGEOUS! After everything he's done, everything he's said, now he decides he wants me to marry that demon spawn of a son of his? I don't think so! I'll break my wand myself and go live as a muggle before I agree to have that bastard as a father-in-law!" Hermione's hands were shaking as she folded the offending parchments and stuffed them into her robes.
"Language, Miss Granger! I would hate to have to take house points." Dumbledore looked sternly over his glasses at the girl in front of him. "Please, I beg you, outbursts such as this do not help the situation. Purposely breaking one's wand is a serious act with severe magical consequences, and should not even be spoken of in haste."
Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "You're right, sir. I'm sorry. It would be better to put my energy into finding a way out of this whole nightmare." She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully. "The Ministry obviously knows I received the offer. Since today is Monday, I have until two weeks from this Friday to find a way out of this, or to accept another offer. Maybe Ron..." Her heart twisted a little in her chest at the thought. She'd worked so hard to keep their friendship intact after he'd confessed his feelings for her last summer. Telling him she didn't love him the same way he professed to love her had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. Marrying him could destroy their friendship - and both of them as well.
"I'm afraid young Mr. Weasley has some months to go before he is eighteen. He cannot make an offer for your hand before the Ministry deadline," the headmaster informed her matter of factly.
"But Malfoy is only - wait, you said he was already eighteen! How can that be?" Hermione looked at the older man suspiciously.
"Draco started at Hogwart's a bit later than usual, at his father's request. He was schooled privately before coming to us, and Mr. Malfoy wanted the boy to complete his course of instruction before sending him to school."
Hermione huffed softly. "I bet I know just the sort of thing they were teaching him." Given that she had already been reprimanded twice, she decided not to elaborate.
"Miss Granger." The headmaster leaned forward, forearms on his desk, hands folded, the lenses of his glasses sparkling a bit in the soft light. "Give yourself some time to adjust to the situation and think about things. It is almost time for the evening meal. Eat. Enjoy time with your friends. Get a good night's rest. Things have a way of working themselves out if you give them time." He rose and before she realized what was happening she found herself standing in front of the staircase alcove again.
"Um...thank you, Professor." She wasn't quite sure what she was thanking him for, but her inborn sense of propriety dictated she say it anyway.
"You're welcome, child. If you have any questions, or need anyone to talk to, please feel free to come and see me or Professor McGonagall at any time." Noting her look of horror, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder in reassurance. "As your Head of House, the professor must be informed of the situation. Please, do not worry yourself; her sense of discretion is impeccable."
Hermione nodded her head. "I trust her - I do. It's just...I really don't want the whole school to know. It's bad enough I'm going to have to tell Harry and Ron about all this. I don't think I could stand all the gossip, especially if everyone finds out about Malfoy." She spit the name out in disgust.
"I'm afraid, Miss Granger, that you aren't going to be able to keep the fact that your name is on the Marriage Eligibility List a secret for very long. I advise you to give some thought to how you wish to handle the attention before the fact becomes common knowledge. Now run along before we are both missed in the Great Hall." Dumbledore smiled at her benevolently and she found herself trying to smile back.
"Good evening, Professor."
Good evening, Miss Granger."
As she turned to step into the staircase alcove and begin her descent, her attention was caught by the headmaster's outstretched arm.
"Lemon drop?"
Darn. She had almost gotten away this time.
Hermione moved down the corridor towards the Great Hall, totally oblivious to the other students around her. More than a few moved quickly out of her way to avoid being run over, and no one acknowledged her passing. Everyone knew what that look on her face meant. Hermione Granger was Thinking, and interrupting her would only get your head bitten off.
She was within sight of the doors to the Great Hall when she was pulled up short by a sharp tug on her robe.
"Oy! Hermione!" The fingers didn't let go, just tugged harder. "Wait up! Didn't you hear us calling you? We've been chasing you through half the bloody castle!"
She turned and looked up into the flushed face of her best friend, the red blush on his cheeks making his freckles stand out in sharp relief. She smiled at him and he dropped his hold on her robe, scrubbing his hand through his disheveled hair as the blush grew stronger.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't hear you. I was thinking about something."
Hermione felt a hand drop on her shoulder. "Is something wrong, Hermione?" She turned to Harry, a denial on her lips, but it died when she saw the concerned look in his eyes.
"Nothing that can't wait, Harry. I'll tell you later, I promise." Harry and Ron automatically fell into their usual places on either side of her, and they continued on towards the Great Hall. Hermione tried to pay attention to the conversation, to stop thinking about the contents of the parchment that kept sticking into her side through her robes, but it wasn't easy. She had to force herself to focus and actually concentrate on making sense of the words her friends were saying.
Which is why she didn't notice when the boys stopped moving. If Harry hadn't caught her around the waist, stopping her, she would have gone barreling into the body that was standing in front of her. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the words died on her lips as looked up and caught a glimpse of steel blue eyes. She swayed a little and Harry's grip tightened, steadying her.
"Move, Malfoy." Harry's voice was neutral. It had been a year since the unspoken truce had been declared between the trio and Malfoy and his followers, and the rules dictated neither courtesy nor outright hostility. The younger Malfoy, much to the surprise of Harry and his friends, hadn't aided the Death Eaters in the final battle with Voldemorte the year before, but he hadn't actively opposed them, either. An uneasy détente had been reached after Voldemorte's fall, one that all parties carefully observed.
"In a minute, Potter." Draco's eyes flicked briefly over Harry before coming to rest on Hermione's face. "I believe you and I have something to talk about, Granger." Her heart dropped at his words. She should have expected this, but she hadn't had time to think it all through yet. She just couldn't do this. She wasn't ready.
"Granger? Are you listening to me?" Her breath caught in her throat as a half smile graced his lips, and she to forced herself to move her gaze from his mouth and look up into his eyes, only to find herself wondering, yet again, exactly what colour they were. He really had the most extraordinary eyes, neither grey, nor blue, but some uncanny combination. As his smile grew, she silently cursed herself and her damn hormones. It didn't matter what colour his eyes were or how good looking he was, didn't they realize this was no time to be distracted?
She tilted her chin up and folded her arms in front of her chest. "You must be mistaken, Malfoy. We have nothing to talk about. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to be late for dinner."
Harry stepped forward as Draco's eyes narrowed, but the blond cut him off before he could speak. "Your choice. If you really want to hold this conversation out here with an audience, I have no problem with that, but propriety dictates that any discussion of mar -"
"Fine!" Hermione's voice was high and strained. "We'll talk. Later."
"Later," Draco agreed with a self satisfied smirk. "I'll meet you in our common room after rounds. And Granger..." His voice held a note of warning. "Don't try and hide, or we'll have our little discussion over breakfast tomorrow in the Great Hall." He nodded his head at Harry and Ron perfunctorily. "Potter. Weasley." He managed to drag the redhead's name out and twist the sound to make it an aspersion.
Hermione sighed with relief as Draco turned and headed towards the Great Hall, waiting until he had a good head start before following him. Harry and Ron hurried to catch up with her. She carefully avoided looking at either of them, still conscious of their puzzled looks, and wasn't surprised when Harry cleared his throat. As usual, he was the one elected to deal with her when things were difficult. "Hermione."
"After dinner, Harry. Please. I'll tell you everything after dinner." Ron opened the door to the Great Hall and stood back to let her pass. She looked up at him and smiled in thanks, trying not to feel guilty over the worried look on his face.
She didn't know who she was looking forward to talking to less tonight, Harry and Ron, or Malfoy.