The Morning After – Chapter Three
A/N: Hello dear readers! It's been a while hasn't it? I have been so busy lately that I just haven't bothered with the whole story thing. I was always happy to see more reviews though, and so far I seem to be getting a really positive response for this story. I hope that I can keep it up to par!
There are some readers concerned about conflict occurring in this fic. I have a few ideas of the twists and turns that I want to take place, but who knows . . . I might change it depending on the feedback I get from reviewers.
There was also a comment about why Hermione was relying on Draco to get the annulment sorted out. With my limited knowledge on such arrangements, I believe most people can't usually do things like that overnight and the costs for lawyers in a case in which proceedings must take place quickly are very expensive. That is one area in which Draco has the upper hand. Also, I took it upon myself to assume that both parties must sign the papers to make it legal and he told her he would refuse as it would bring him shame. He had his reasons. For the purpose of the story, regardless of whether I was right or not for believing these things, that's the way it goes. If I'm wrong, clearly if I had stuck to reality, there would be no story.
As far as . . . dare I say . . . smut . . . *cough* . . . I am not really a big fan of that kind of thing. There are some writers who put all kinds of details and so on into it and then I feel that the story takes on this PWP (Plot? What Plot?) sort of feel that just annoys me. Seriously, it's more about romance for me. I try to add the general idea to my stories without getting carried away. For those of you who were concerned about how far I was planning to take it . . . I can safely say far enough. I don't know, maybe I'll take it a step further than I did in my other story, experiment a little with the idea, but I don't want to make my story nasty so people don't respect the writing style anymore. Don't get me wrong, some people are actually good at that sort of thing. Somehow they can describe it without making it seem like a scene from a porno . . . like the Fires of Beltane which is on this site. It is one of . . . I think three R rated stories I've read on fanfiction.net. Hermione Malfoy is really good too. It's my all-time favourite story. Not just because the author isn't extra with the whole sex thing, but it is extremely funny. (Ironically, the author hasn't even read the books and the story is still that fantastic!) I hope I haven't offended anyone – this was totally not about bashing fics. That's just my opinion and it'll set the minds of those readers who agree with me and wonder how I'm planning to write at ease.
Anyways, I've written quite a long note, you're all getting bored and ready to hit the X at the top corner of the screen. Just one more thing: For some reason, my left eye is killing me – bear with me if this chapter is riddled with spelling mistakes. I think my plan is to edit the entire story on a rainy day or when it's complete – whichever comes first.
Onto chapter three . . .
* * * * * * * * * *
"No Draco," Hermione said with a frantic shake of her head. "I can't do it."
"What do you mean you can't do it?" he questioned her incredulously. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how? Don't tell me this is your first time!"
"Of course this isn't my first time you silly git!" Hermione snapped. "Draco, you don't understand, my mother will be appalled! She might faint!"
"Honestly Hermione, we're married - your mother will not have a conniption! Just do it Hermione," Draco said in a smooth, salesman's voice. "I promise - you'll feel great when it's over."
Hermione shook her head emphatically.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Hermione, you're mother has done it too. She'll probably be ecstatic."
"Yes my mother has done it too, but she did it the right way. Merlin, she'll think I've forgotten my upbringing!"
"What exactly is the right way Hermione?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised.
"White dress. Church or outdoor ceremony. Friends and family. That's the right way Draco."
"I will not beg for it Hermione. If you won't do it, I'll get someone else too."
"Oh really?" Hermione replied, indignant. "Like who pray tell?"
"My mother," Draco replied with a satisfied smile, he knew he had won.
"You wouldn't!" Hermione cried.
"I would," Draco nodded.
Of course, what Hermione and Draco were discussing was whether or not Hermione would pick up the phone and call her parents to let them know that she had gotten married a week ago. In all honesty, Draco might have begged rather than have his mother do it, he was tiring of this argument every day; however, his bluff seemed to be working. Surprisingly, his mother seemed to be taking it quite well. He supposed she was happy he had married at all and could possibly give her grandchildren rather than living the life of a bachelor forever. As he no longer had to worry about his father's opinion, this was a huge relief. He couldn't imagine why Hermione's parents could take it any worse than his own mother might have.
"Alright fine, I'll call them," Hermione conceded nervously. "But you can't be in the room."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat Hermione. "I'll be in the study. I have to arrange for our travel plans home tomorrow morning."
Hermione watched her husband (that was so weird . . . her husband? Sleeping with him in the same bed was obviously not doing a good enough job of removing the weirdness factor) leave the room. Picking up the telephone and heaving a deep breath, Hermione punched in her parents' telephone number.
* * * * * * * * * *
Draco put down the paper he was reading when he heard Hermione open the door and enter the study. "How did it go?" he asked.
Hermione's eyes were unfocussed. She looked like she was in a state of shock. "They're really excited," she responded after a few moments, as though she could still hardly believe it.
"I told you," Draco said with a self-satisfied grin. He leaned back in his chair and nodded. "They couldn't be happier I assume. They had probably long given up hope of you ever marrying. Perhaps they thought that you would end up an old maid and this was your last ditch attempt at happiness."
This was clearly enough to bring Hermione out of her trance.
"Excuse me!?" she demanded of him. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Draco told her with an impish grin. "Just pointed out the fact that I was right and you were wrong. It looks like you're not used to being incorrect Miss Granger. You reminded me of Professor Trelawney for a moment what with that dream like state you had about you."
"The only thing that is incorrect here is the reason why you believe I am a little shaken," Hermione shot back. "Care to ask what my mother said to me before she hung up?"
Draco focussed on a point above Hermione's head – something told him that he had to brace himself for this. "Alright, what did your mother say to you before she hung up?"
"She said something along the lines of: "'We'll see you and your new husband in two weeks dear. 'Bye!'" if I recall correctly," Hermione responded.
Was it wrong for her to be so happy that the colour was draining from her husband's already very pale skin? He seemed to be taking this a lot harder than she had. Excellent. Her spirits were taking a sudden climb.
"Well call her back and tell her we can't go Hermione!" Draco told her. "Come up with an excuse of some kind to get out of it! I'll have a nice apology gift sent to the house or something!"
Hermione now took the time to sit back and smile. Malfoy was really quite cute when he was nervous. "You don't just 'come up with an excuse' when it comes to my mother Draco. Notice there was no slight lift to my voice when I told you what she said. It was not a question. It was a demand. She also, through years of training, has taught me the difference between a demand in which I may put in an appeal and a demand in which there will be no further discussion. There was a goodbye followed by a connection with the dial tone. Now if I took all the right notes growing up, that means: Hermione and Draco have no choice and they had better start packing. Anymore questions before I take my shower?" Hermione almost giggled, the look on his face was so amusing. "Didn't think so." Hermione made her exit.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hermione?" Draco asked that night when they were in bed. She seemed to have fallen asleep. "Hermione?" he asked again. Leaning towards her ear, Draco whispered, "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"
Horrified, Hermione suddenly sat up in bed and inched away from him as far as she could get without falling off of the bed. "What the hell are you talking about Malfoy!?" His disgruntled wife even went so far as to lift the sheets and check the state of herself beneath, then look back up to eye her husband suspiciously.
"I want to talk to you about this visit to your Mum and Dad's," Draco explained to her.
"Can't we talk about this in the morning Draco?" Hermione snapped, annoyed. "Do you know what time it is? We have an early day you know! I'm warning you Malfoy, I am not exactly the ideal companion when I don't have at least eight hours sleep!"
"No," Draco responded stubbornly, crossing his arms. "We have to talk about it now or else I won't be able to sleep. Then I'll be in a bad mood tomorrow, and I guarantee, you'll end up being in a bad mood too eventually."
"Is that a threat or something Malfoy?" Hermione demanded, becoming more alert by the second. "Let me remind you that I'm not your mother, your maid, or your house elf okay? We're going to acknowledge the fact that yes, you were an incredibly spoiled brat growing up – still are. But we are also going to get something straight, no matter what you're used to, just because you say jump, I will not ask how high. Got it?"
He was getting it alright. Nobody aside from his father had ever stood up to him in such a fashion. He was incredibly turned on right now.
"And furthermore -" Hermione began, but was cut off. Draco was kissing her.
It was the most delicious kiss that she had ever experienced. Every brush of his lips against hers sent shivers down her spine. Oh yes . . . was that his hand creeping across her stomach and heading down her thigh? Draco . . . Draco . . . oh . . . Oh Merlin! Draco! Hermione's eyes snapped opened.
* * * * * * * * * *
The taste of her was intoxicating and incredibly refreshing. There were no words to describe the softness of her lips or her luxuriously silky skin. And nobody, nobody would have guessed how fantastic a kisser Hermione Granger . . . er . . . Malfoy, resident Hogwarts bookworm, truly was. Draco was melting into the softness of her feminine curves. He had dreamt about this for the past week and he was finally going to have his little wife. Nothing could stop him now . . . except for the woman beneath him as suddenly, the incredible pleasure was called to a halt.
Pushing him off of her, Hermione sat up in the bed again. "What just happened?" she asked her husband with wide eyes.
"What do you think Hermione?" Draco responded, irritated. He had been so close!
"You were kissing me. You were touching me," Hermione went on as though he had not spoken.
"Merlin!" Draco thought. "Don't remind me of the things I'm missing!"
Finally, seeming to remember that she was not talking to herself, Hermione focussed on his face. "That can't happen again Draco. This marriage isn't real and I will not have you use me because I happen to be around," she said.
"Using you never came to my mind," Draco assured her in a cool voice. "However, it was an excellent way of getting you to shut up."
Hermione did not even respond to that comment. Snuggling back in the sheets and turning her back to him, she muttered a goodnight and closed her eyes.
Draco followed suit. Merlin he was an idiot. No way was Hermione going to forget that anytime soon. If he didn't start to think before he spoke where she was concerned, he was never going to indulge in those fantasies that he had been entertaining lately.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione and Draco had arrived at the breath-taking Malfoy Manor by Floo. Hermione could hardly contain her admiration for the grounds and rooms that the manor had to offer. She followed Draco throughout the house as he gave her the grand tour of her new home.
"This will be our bedroom," he announced, swinging open a door with a flourish and gesturing inside.
Hermione preceded him into the room and looked around. Never before, not even in magazines, had she seen a room as splendid as this one. Although Draco had insisted that they continue to share a room, this hardly fazed her. She decided to put more energy into basking in the immense satisfaction that she had for her surroundings.
"Now, we're going to be meeting my mother downstairs for tea in a few minutes," Draco informed his wife. "Just freshen up while we wait to be called down, a house elf will unpack your things. I'm going to post some letters so I will meet you downstairs."
Hermione hardly had time to nod before he had left the room.
* * * * * * * * * *
Draco thanked Merlin that his mother was being so understanding about the whole marriage thing. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that Narcissa Malfoy would not only accept the fact that he had married a Mudblood, but wholeheartedly welcome her into the family. He barely even had time to register all of that information while his wife and mother talked about the wedding.
"Was it a beautiful ceremony?" Narcissa asked her daughter-in law, a concerned frown on her face.
"Well . . ." Hermione began, shooting a look at Draco, "the establishment in which the wedding took place was very lovely, but it really wasn't the extravagant ceremony that my mother has probably always imagined for me."
"Well we'll just have to remedy that sooner or later Hermione," Narcissa informed her. "I want to see my son married before all of our friends and family. I never thought I would see the day when he brought a wife home at all!"
Hermione felt a tingle of pleasure when she felt the heat from Draco's blush in the palm of the hand that was holding one of hers.
"Perhaps we should," Hermione responded, trying not to laugh.
Draco watched the conversation, hardly saying a word. When his embarrassment at his mother's upfront attitude diminished, he simply marvelled at the show Hermione was putting on. She was really quite a stunning actress. She lied with incredible ease and no question, no matter how personal, seemed to put her off balance. It was really very Slytherin of her. Draco squirmed in his chair. Since he had married this girl, he was the cleanest he had ever been in his life. All he did was take cold showers these days. Just as this thought came to mind, the maid entered the room.
"Master and Mistresses Malfoy, dinner is being served in the dining room in a few minutes," she said, dipping a low curtsy and leaving the room as quickly as she came.
"Thank Merlin this is over with!" Draco thought with relief. The whole ordeal had really had him on edge. He hoped the visit to Hermione's folks in two weeks would not grate on his nerves quite so much.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Oh Merlin," Hermione thought anxiously. "I feel like a lamb going to the slaughter!" She was currently in the back of a taxicab with Draco, driving towards her parents' and she was finding it increasingly difficult not to fidget. Hermione simply could not believe that this was happening, that she was actually going to pull off this charade in front of her parents. She tried very hard to control the shaking that her body seemed to feel was the correct response to her current emotions.
Draco looked over at her. "Nervous?" he asked.
"Weren't you before we spoke with your mother?" Hermione hissed at him, trying not to draw the attention of the driver. "I should think you would feel a little sympathy for me!"
"Of course I wasn't worried Hermione. Malfoys do not worry," Draco replied with a casual wave of his hand, turning back to the window. "I don't see why you're squirming around like you have ants crawling up your skirt. They told you that they were excited and happy for you. What's there to worry about?"
Hermione chose not to respond to his comment. She was too busy trying not to hyperventilate now that the car had pulled up in front of her parents' drive.
Draco paid the driver and then, with his hand at the small of Hermione's back, walked with her up to the front porch. Hermione didn't even bother to tell him to bugger off as it was actually quite comforting to know that he was with her right now. She rang the doorbell.
"Sweetheart! You're here!" Hermione's mother Jillian Granger cried happily when she answered the door to find that Hermione and Draco had arrived
"Hi Mummy!" Hermione said, throwing herself into her mother's arms for a long embrace.
"And this must be Draco," Mrs. Granger said finally, turning to upraise her new son-in-law. Obviously pleased with his finely tailored suit, crisp hair cut, piercingly attractive silver eyes, and general, all-around hotness, she nodded in approval. "Come here dear," she said to him. "Give Mother Granger a hug."
Hermione released the breath that she had not even realized that she was holding. She had no idea when it had begun to matter to her whether her parents liked Draco or not, but Hermione decided that the logical answer to that question was that it stemmed from her subconscious desire not to complicate her current situation any further.
Draco stepped forward, but didn't hug Mrs. Granger; instead her took her hand and kissed it, taking Hermione aback. "A pleasure to finally meet you Mrs. Granger," he said.
A blushing Jillian Granger, clearly happy that her daughter's husband was so charming, shut the door behind them and called to her husband. "Andrew! Andrew where are you!? Hermione and Draco are here!"
Andrew Granger appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Daddy!" Hermione cried, racing up the stairs to meet him for another warm hug.
"Draco my boy," Andrew said when he got to the bottom of the stairs and was face to face with his new son-in-law. "Good to finally meet you." The two men shook hands.
"Hermione, take Draco upstairs to your bedroom please to put away your luggage and wash up for dinner," Jillian Granger said, gesturing to the suitcases. "I'll have supper on the table in about twenty minutes."
"Okay Mum," Hermione said, grabbing her bags and leading the way up the staircase.
* * * * * * * * * *
"So when are you going to give me some grandchildren?" Jillian asked Draco over dinner that evening.
Hermione choked on a piece of lettuce and snatched up her wine glass.
"We're not planning on having any children too soon," he replied. "We want to spend some time together first, just get used to being married."
Mr. Granger nodded as though he was slightly relieved.
"How many children are you planning on having?" Jillian pressed on.
"Eight," Draco replied with a smile, taking Hermione's hand and squeezing it.
Merlin her husband talked too much. Hermione's twitch was returning. Her left eye was jumping and there was simply nothing that she could do to stop it except succumb to a quick and painless death.
"Eight!?" Mr. and Mrs. Granger cried in surprise.
"Oh yes. Eight is the perfect number," Draco explained. "Nothing could make me happier than having Hermione carry all of my children. Plus, we can give the Weasleys a run for their money."
This response was greeted by laughter from his parents-in-law and a hot blush from his wife. The ice having been successfully broken, they managed to continue dinner without too many more difficult questions.
"Well Mum," Hermione announced, putting down her napkin, "I think I'll take my shower and get into bed."
"Not so fast dear!" Jillian said with a smile. "I want to take some pictures first! Andrew, go get the camera."
Mr. Granger returned quickly. "Alright then you two," he said, pointing towards the settee in the family room across the way, "settle down right there so we can get some good shots."
Obliging him, Hermione and Draco sat down and faced him, unsure of what pose they were supposed to be in.
"Come on now!" Mrs. Granger said with a smile. "Don't be shy! Let's have cuddle for the camera! "
Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder and took his hand. It was a rather cozy pose and she was quite surprised to discover how much she liked it. Hermione's father snapped various photographs of the couple.
"Now we want a kiss for the album!" Mrs. Granger said with a smile.
"Mum . . ." Hermione protested.
"Really Jillian that isn't . . ." Mr. Granger added his opinions to Hermione's.
"Okay," Draco said, desperately attempting to contain his somewhat surprising excitement at the prospect of kissing his wife's sweet lips again.
"No arguments," Jillian Granger said with finality in her tone, casting her husband a sharp glance that clearly said: "Get over yourself."
Pulling his wife into his arms, Draco touched his lips lightly to hers. Merlin she tasted lovely.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione melted into Draco's arms. Her husband really knew how to kiss a girl. She was this close to pulling him on top of her right there when she registered the flash of the camera. Where was she? Right . . . kissing her husband in front of her parents. Her eyes snapping open, Hermione pulled back from Draco in as casual a fashion as she could muster, much to her own disappointment.
"I'm really going to take my shower now," she said with a small smile, standing. "Goodnight Mum, Dad. I'll see you in a bit Draco." With that, she turned towards the stairs.
* * * * * * * * * *
A/N: Well that's chapter three. The main idea was basically to ease the characters back into their real lives. They couldn't stay on honeymoon forever! I may go over it and re-write some parts if more ideas come to me, but this will do for now as a filler. Before anyone asks, there are characters that have not yet been mentioned, but will make their appearance in time. I know where I am going with the story currently (although I re-iterate: I may have a change of plans according to what my reviewers tell me). There will be plot twists eventually – lol – in my last story, people did not seem to have enough faith in me . . . never fear, it will come in time.
Please review and tell me what you think should happen next. I am hoping I can hold off the writer's block that I experienced with A Malfoy Marriage of Convenience.
Yes, in response to one review, "Aunt Flo" is code for "that time of the month."
Happy reading!
~CaramelSweetness66