Author's Note: Hello! Wheeeee, another fic! I have this bad reputation of never finishing stories, but this one's different. I like this one, and will be working on it non-stop, so read it omg. Hehe. 3 And in case you didn't read the description, it's originally Hermione/Draco, but things happen and someone needs a knight in shining armor ;) No saying who it's going to be though. And don't assume it'll be Ron either, but then again, it's might be :)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine, and everything else is. So please don't sue me, all I have is a box of altoids :(
--Fraternizing With the Enemy--
Chapter One- Once Upon a Time
It had been three weeks. Three long, grueling weeks and Ron still refused to talk to her. Harry wasn't as stubborn; he briefly chatted to her in-between classes and at meals, but they didn't have whispered conversations when the teachers weren't looking, long talks in the common room, or even write notes back and forth like they used to. He didn't want to completely alienate himself from her, but Harry was finding it difficult to remain neutral and not fully agree with Ron. The day it happened was forever etched into his mind; it felt like a kick in the stomach to both of them. A kick by someone with very pointy and heavy shoes. How could she do something like that? She was…fraternizing with the enemy.
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"Mrs. Draco Malfoy…Mrs. Hermione Malfoy…Mrs. Malfoy…Draco…" Hermione flipped the parchment she had been doodling on over as the Transfiguration teacher strolled past her seat. The professor's lip was as thin as ever as she shot Hermione a perplexed look, but preferred not to comment on what she thought she read upon the paper. After she had passed, Hermione rested her chin on her left hand as she resumed "writing." He was all she could think about. Her mind was occupied every waking moment by thoughts of him; she replayed conversations they had the day before, imagined him shirtless, remembered their first kiss…In a word, he was wonderful. He was funny, handsome, brilliant, romantic, and had a trace of bad-boy-ish-ness to him. What girl wouldn't want someone like him? And for the life of her, she couldn't even contemplate why she never saw him this way before.
She finally supposed that it was because of Harry and Ron. They were the first people to ever look past her know-it-all attitude and see the real Hermione, even if it did take a giant troll and a near death experience to bring the three of them together. They were her first and best friends. She didn't want to hurt them, but she hoped they would love her enough to learn to accept that Draco was a part of her now. The voices in her head told her that this was impossible, but she simply didn't want to admit it. She blocked them out, constantly telling herself that everything would be fine in a few weeks. And besides, now she had Draco to comfort her while she waited.
The bell signaling the end of class snapped her out of her reverie. Blinking, she looked up just in time to see the swish of Ron's robes as he walked out of the classroom and out of sight. Her heart sank; it had been exactly three weeks since he had said anything to her. She looked to her right. Harry was still packing his bag, but it was obvious he was avoiding making eye contact with her. After a moment, he also left without a word or a smile. She started to inwardly sob, refusing to let any tears escape her eyes. It was only hours later that she felt any happiness, when she finally found herself back in Draco's arms.
--
The wedding was by no means meager. Everyone one they knew, and even people they didn't showed up. No expense was spared; after all, Draco was a Malfoy. The idea that the bride's family was to pay for almost everything was, well, old-fashioned. The money they spent barely put a dent in his pocket change. And quite frankly, Hermione didn't mind at all.
She had of course invited Ron and Harry. She didn't receive an RSVP from the first; he did not even send a polite letter of refusal. Hermione suspected Harry only came so she would not be completely distraught. She was fine with it though; she had given up trying to talk to Ron almost a year ago, and only sent him an invitation out of courtesy. Even so, she felt a brief pull at his heartstrings when Harry told her he would be coming alone; she quickly forgot about it though as Draco asked her about the flower arrangements.
They had decided to have the wedding near the Great Lake after obtaining permission from Professor Dumbledore, who was overjoyed at their union. Hundreds of white folding chairs were lined up on either side of a long red carpet, littered with pink rose petals thrown by the two flower girls-two of Draco's relatives. Hermione briefly mused at this; two years ago, before the defeat of Lord Voldemort and Lucious Malfoy, no self respecting Malfoy would have been caught dead at the wedding of a mudblood, let alone be marrying one. That day had been a glorious day, though it was one of the most frightening experiences of her almost-twenty years of life. Hermione shook her head; this was no time to be thinking of that.
The magical organs, which were no where to be seen, yet resonated throughout the grounds of Hogwarts, started up. Everyone in the congregation rose silently, and Hermione began her slow march, grinning at everyone and absolutely glowing. Her father walked to her right, tall and proud. At the end of the carpet stood the bridesmaids, ushers, and the groom. Her heart melted as she saw him for the first time in three days. His platinum blonde hair was in a took-me-five-hours-to-get-this-way messy style that looked perfect on him. His pale skin was almost the exact opposite of his jet black robes, yet he was more gorgeous then anyone she had ever seen.
Hermione's heart fluttered as her father kissed her cheek and whispered a few words to Draco before sitting down next to her mother. Mr. Granger put an arm around his wife's shoulder, who was dabbing at her eyes as subtly as she could with a purple handkerchief, and nodded approvingly to his daughter.
Professor Dumbledore smiled at the spouses-to-be, and began the ceremony. The soft breeze fluttered his white robes and made his long silver beard and hair dance. His voice was deep and strong; each word he spoke echoed through the silence of the eager crowd. The couple had decided to have a traditional wizarding world wedding, as neither of them was very religious. It was basically the same though, and ended with Albus Dumbledore swelling with pride as he said-
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." His eyes were twinkling behind the thin, glossy layer of tears forming in them. Everyone stood, clapped, cheered, and in the Weasley twins' case, sang some unknown song. Draco raised his hands to Hermione's cheeks, cupping her face as he lowered his head. Their lips met, and they stood like that for an eternity before pulling away, both extremely red. They seemed to have briefly forgotten that they had an audience.
The new spouses held each other's hand as they walked down the isle together amid a shower of flowers and confetti. About halfway down the carpet, they broke into a run, laughing and grinning madly as they headed to the Great Hall for the reception, closely followed by the rest of their guests. Everyone danced, ate, and chatted well past midnight. Dumbledore, concerned that the intoxicated group would risk splicing themselves if they tried to Apparate, insisted that they all stay in the different dormitories of the huge castle. The muggles would be taking the Hogwarts Express the next morning (after having their memories strategically modified, except for Mr. and Mrs. Granger), and the wizards and witches would be allowed to go as they please.
Even in the magic world, the wedding night tradition was the same. Dumbledore knew what would transpire between Hermione and Draco that night, so he could not allow them to use a room in the castle, as the owner of it would more then likely not be pleased. They had discussed this before the wedding, and the headmaster finally decided to let them spend the night in the Room of Requirement. Everyone congratulated the couple one more time before heading their separate ways.
Once they had gone, Draco suddenly took Hermione into his arms, winked, and carried her off into the first night of the rest of their lives.
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Basically this is just a prologue- I guess I should tell you some of the plot, so you actually get interested and keep reading :) All I will say is that Draco is not as good of a husband as he seems. So, please review and tell me how this is! I will post the next chapter as soon as I have it written, which will be tomorrow or the next day, hopefully. And, (warning, shameless plug), please read As Told by Padfoot! I abandoned it for a whole year (what was I thinking?) and will begin updating that one regularly as well. Sirius is my favorite character, and it's a funny bio of his life :)
Love you all