Hermione walked down the steps and out the door. She started down the street when she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Harry waving to her. She beckoned him to come with her. He ran up and asked, "Where are you headed?"
Hermione told him about the other offer and what she had done. "Harry, I don't think I have much of a choice. Minerva told me that they were thinking about having Snape offer for me to save me from Crabbe. I don't know why Draco went against his friend like that, but it was either one or the other." She felt slightly guilty withholding from one her best friends the true reason that McGonnagall wanted her to accept Draco's offer.
Harry looked at Hermione with some concern. He knew she was holding something back from him, but he didn't want to push her. He knew she'd tell him in her own time. In the meantime though, he still didn't think it was a good idea for her to accept Draco's offer.
"Hermione, come on. He was a rotten git to us all through Hogwarts. You can't accept his offer. Someone else will come through. They will, you'll see." Harry pleaded with Hermione.
Hermione shook her head. "Harry, he's coming over tonight. I'll make a decision then. I don't think I'm going to get any other offers. We've been through this already. Harry, you know I love you dearly, but I need to be alone to think for now."
Harry sighed and replied "Okay, I'll go, for now. You know how to get a hold of me if you need to talk or you need me to bring you to your senses." He gave her a quick hug and walked away.
She watched him go, then turned back and decided to head towards the park. There was a little secluded area where she always went when she couldn't get a grasp on things. She walked through the park and found the area. She sat on the bench and looked at the wall where someone had inscribed the Serenity Prayer years ago.
"God, grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change.
Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen."
Hermione was no longer a Christian and had given going up to church when she had entered Hogwarts. But reading the prayer always brought a sense of peace over her. She knew that there were a lot of good points in it. She always reflected how it applied to the situation she was worrying over when she chose to come here. She sat and thought about the situation she was in now. Obviously she couldn't change the marriage law right now, so she had to accept it regardless of her feelings on the subject. She had a choice in who she married-well maybe, right now Draco's offer was the only one on the table, but she had no doubt that with some persuasion, she could get a few more offers. She was a good friend with some of the Pureblood families besides the Weasleys. If she and Draco married, she knew she would just have to take it one day at a time and see what happened. She didn't know him all that well. Harry was right-Draco had been a dirty lousy git all through Hogwarts, but knowing now that he had been on the right side after all did make some difference in her thoughts of him. She wondered if she could sign the offer and maybe hold him off for another month or so in which they could get to know each other. She knew they had time before the binding had to be completed, so maybe, just maybe she could pull it off.
Draco, meanwhile, listened to his friend rant and rave about how the dirty Mudblood dared to reject him. Finally, he could take it no more. "Crabbe, I offered for the Mudblood. She's considering my offer."
Crabbe stopped mid-rant and stared at Draco speechless. "Wha...wha...bu...hey! You knew I was offering for her!"
Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Well mate, I didn't really think she'd accept yours or mine honestly. But I've had a hankering from her since the day she took up with that Potter. I've always wanted to punish her for it."
Draco knew he had to play his cards very carefully with Crabbe. Even though Voldemort had been defeated, the Deatheaters hadn't completely given up on taking over the Wizarding world. He knew that Crabbe and Goyle's families were still key people in the movement. Draco still did some spying for the Order but there were very few people who knew it was he that had handed Voldemort on a platter to Harry Potter.
Crabbe looked at Draco and finally held out his hand. "Well, I guess if it can't be me that brings her over to the side of darkness, it may as well be one of my best friends."
As Draco reached out to take his hand, Crabbe hauled back and punched him. "Sorry, mate. But I had to get some of the rage out of me." He apparated out of the manor with a pop.
Draco sat and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "I guess that went well," he said to the empty room. He grabbed his cloak and walked out.
Hermione sat lost deep in thought, reading the prayer again. She couldn't seem to get the feeling of peace she was looking for.
"What's this?" She heard a familiar drawl.
'Ohhhhhh! ' The last person in the world that she wanted to face was Draco Malfoy.
"Excuse me, I'm trying to have some sense of peace here, Draco. Since I can't even seem to get it at my own flat without receiving owls from your deatheater buddies."
"So, you received Crabbe's offer. I told you mine would be far more generous than you could expect from anyone else." Draco sneered at her.
She sighed. "Okay Draco, cut the crap. Why me? And don't use the sense of obligation to save me excuse."
Draco looked at her eyes. He grabbed her and pulled her to him. As his lips descended towards her, he growled, "This is why."
He began to kiss her gently and then he deepened his kiss. He gently brought his tongue against her lips and pushed until her mouth yielded to hers. He heard her exclaim "oh" Then his tongue invaded her mouth. He felt her slowly start to respond to him. At that moment, he pushed her away from him.
She stumbled back, her hair askew and her face flushed. She hauled back her hand and he grabbed it as it started to come towards his face. "I already got punched in the jaw by Crabbe, Hermione. I don't need a twin mark on the other side."
She glared at him, and then stormed off down the path. As he watched her, Draco brought his hand up to his mouth and rubbed thoughtfully.