A/N: I kind of like the whole "I won't post until you review" thing, BECAUSE I'M EMBRACING MY EVIL SIDE MUAHAHA! So that's on again! However, this time don't feel like you have to hold back any specifics on what you like or don't like or constructive criticism, I'm not sensitive, you won't insult me, only help me J

… … …

Narcissa watched as her guests poured into the vast ballroom, taking seats at the extravagantly adorned round tables. The orchestra was already playing softly and countless people approached her to compliment the beauty and classiness of the wedding.

"Fank you," said Narcissa, taking another gulp from her glass.

Lucius, sitting at the head table next to her rolled his eyes; he couldn't believe she was already three sheets to the wind when Draco and Hermione hadn't even arrived to their own reception yet.

Surprisingly enough, he was worried about Draco. Although it was purely selfish at the root of it, truly concerned only for Draco's performance as a convincing happy husband, he was mad at Narcissa on Draco's behalf, thinking her being drunk would aggravate his son even more. He still hadn't thought of anything he could do to cheer him up and he sat brooding next to Narcissa, who was downing a forth cocktail.

"I'll take one of those too then," said Lucius to the waiter.

… … …

Hermione and Draco sat awkwardly in the back of the long black wizard's limo, neither speaking.

Finally, Draco, who was caught by Hermione glancing at her, decided to say something, "You looked nice…" he said.

"Hmm?" said Hermione, snapping out of a trance.

"During the ceremony," he said calmly, "You looked nice."

"Oh," Hermione said softly, "So did you…"

The two went back to a sleepy silence, although it wasn't that uncomfortable. It was safe for them both to assume the other was tired and a little out of it after such an odd event. It had actually happened, they were married.

Perhaps for the time being they weren't even enemies, but the only two people who could possibly understand how they were feeling right then. The thought tickled Hermione's mind and she glanced over at her "husband." He was rubbing his wrist; there was a small fresh abrasion.

"What happened to your arm?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Oh… I was trying out my new broom," said Draco, smiling softly at the thought, "I guess I got a little too crazy, I went through some branches and brushed up against a tree."

Hermione turned her head towards the front of the limo. They truly were just two young wizards caught up in an extravagant lie. After all, her new husband still rode a broom. How splendid.

… … …

"Lucius, she's absolutely gorgeous," said the wife of one of Lucius's supervisors.

"Thank you," said Lucius nonchalantly, now downing his fourth cocktail. Draco and Hermione had just arrived at the reception and Lucius still hadn't thought of anything to make Draco happy. Narcissa was totally gone by now and Lucius figured if you cant beat them, join them, as the 5th person in three minutes commented on Hermione's beauty.

The 1st dance was yet to start, since they were waiting for all the guests to order their plates and get settled, but Hermione was already surrounded by the younger male workers of the Ministry, smiling weakly. Her dress was not as fluffy as it was in the ceremony, since Sarah had designed layers to be removable, and now she was in a sleeker more sliming white skirt with a long slit up to her mid-thigh on one of the sides. Lucius looked for Draco; surely he should be protecting his wife from too much flirting?

But Draco was trapped in a corner by Pansy Parkinson, who was crying, desperately trying to convince him to go into a closet or loo later for a shag.

"Pierce!" Lucius called to the stern looking man sitting a few chairs down at the head table.

Pierce Parkinson stopped in mid-conversation to heed the call of Lucius, "Yes?" he asked, concerned by the tone of Lucius's voice.

"We are all aware of his requests," said Lucius firmly, "has your daughter forgotten?"

Pierce instantly scanned the ballroom for Pansy, scowling most foully when he saw her. "I'll get her," he said.

"Hurry, the 1st dance is about to start!"

Augustus Goyle came and sat next to Lucius as Pierce had just barely pulled Pansy away before the lights went down around them and focused on the ballroom floor. Lucius was watching very closely as Draco and Hermione met in the middle of the floor and took each other by the waist and hand, Augustus was chuckling softly.

"That was close eh?" he said, "…poor Draco, hasn't been laid in months and then he has to go and dance with her."

Lucius furrowed his brow, he looked at the couple, both dancing marvelously, "What do you mean?" he asked.

Augustus laughed harder, "Well, she's quite beautiful; it must be driving Draco insane. She gets him all randy but he can't release it on anyone else."

Blaise Zambini was also staring at the dancing couple. The wedding reception guests were certainly enjoying it; together Hermione and Draco were spectacular dancers. Draco had just spun Hermione, and her beautiful gown was swirling out around her. The impressed and delighted audience murmured happily.

"Draco thinks he's such hot shit, getting asked to do this for the Dark Lord," he spat angrily, "Everyone is so proud of him… like spending time with her is that big of a hardship!"

Goyle looked apprehensively at Blaise, as did Crabbe, "I wouldn't go starting anything with Draco, Blaise," warned Goyle, "He has a temper."

Blaise scoffed, "I'm not afraid of him!" he mumbled.

Lucius was watching all the boys in the room goggle at Hermione. He was staring at his son closely now. Hermione was tightly against him, and Draco had his eyes shut. They had amazing chemistry on the dance floor; their movements flowed together with style and grace. Everyone was grinning at them from ear to ear as the orchestra continued to fill the ballroom with a romantic wedding song.

But Lucius wasn't focusing so much on their dancing talents, but how they seemed to dance so close together… Yes, Hermione was beautiful, even if she wasn't pure, and she was pressed up against Draco… who "hadn't been laid in months" as Augustus had so put it…. From Lucius's distance it almost appeared as if Draco was grimacing.

"Do you- do you think he'd like to fuck the mudblood?" Lucius asked stuttering and surprised, a combination of alcohol and his brain ticking away.

"Well, yeah!" said Augustus, "I would reckon that would be quite satisfying. I mean she's the reason he can't get it anywhere else. The least she could do was let him take it out on her. She's gorgeous for Merlin's sake. I know her blood is disgusting but she is gorgeous. Honestly, what else is she good for?"

"But she'd fight him, she'd make it hell," slurred Lucius.

"Yeah sure on her own accord, but she wouldn't really have a choice would she? I mean anything she's told to do she must. Besides, that's the satisfying part isn't it? Forcing her? Knowing she's your little slave…" Augustus smiled perversely.

Lucius watched them intently for the rest of the dance. By the time they were done Lucius was smiling quite smugly.

Draco looked at Hermione as she slowly took a small step backward from him as the music of the song ended, their hands still clasped together. Applause erupted and all the faces were smiling around them. The 1st traditional dance of the Bride and Groom was over and the dance floor began to fill with other couples ready and now allowed to dance.

Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Lucius smiling most unsettlingly.

"Father-in-law is next," he said.

Draco looked at him oddly, surprised that Lucius was so hell-bent on making this convincing that he'd actually dance with a muggle-born. He didn't understand why he had impulsively wanted to pull Hermione back into him, not let Lucius have her… dance a little more… it had been so soothing. But Lucius was still standing there, impatiently tapping his foot. Draco made himself shrug his shoulders and went to go sit by his mother.

Lucius took Hermione by the waist and hastily pulled her into his arms. Everyone had been correct. Hermione was soft and curvaceous and she smelled so sweet. He couldn't believe he hadn't really noticed it before. In fact, just having her young hot body right up against his was quite a turn on in itself.

Hermione could smell the alcohol on his breath and quickly concluded that that must be why his hand was so low on her waistline. In his drunkenness his disgust of her heritage was forgotten briefly. He was still smiling in that disturbing way.

"You did very well today," he said.

Hermione gave a weak smile, only one corner of her mouth turning up.

"And when I said the days to come would be important as well… I hope you know I meant tonight as well."

Hermione's face dropped into puzzlement and she looked up at Lucius as they continued to slowly waltz.

"What do you mean?" she asked, for some reason afraid of what he was going to say.

"It is ridiculous my son is unhappy on his wedding day, not to mention his honeymoon!" said Lucius, "So you're going to fix that tonight."

"But-" Hermione started, at a loss of words.

"We have it arranged for you two to go to the grandest hotel in the Wizard Caribbean,"

"Well I knew that but no one ever said anything about-" she began to say frantically…

"I'm going to ask him if he had a good night Granger," said Lucius very bluntly, "and if he says "no" I will be most displeased."

Hermione watched his face grow stern and threatening.

"In fact, if that is the case, then I, along with some associates of mine, will personally teach you how to please a man."

Hermione stopped dancing, dropping his hand and stepping away from him, but the music ended in a few beats anyways, and no one paid any attention to the look of utter shock and horror on her face.

"I hate you," whispered Hermione.

Lucius merely smiled at her, taunting her anguish, as the dancing continued up again around them, the guest completely oblivious to Hermione's life of hell.

Suddenly Lucius's eye light up. "Brusto, so bloody splendid to see you!"

Hermione heard the gluttonous scratchy laugh coming from behind her and she stopped dead in her tracks. A fat, dark featured, greasy man stepped up to them.

"How's 'bout a dance lassie?" chuckled Brusto.

Her face turned so crazed with still quiet anger that it instantly made Lucius concerned.

"Lucius," Hermione whispered most harshly, her skin crawling uncontrollably, "I swear on everything holy that if you let him touch me, I will scream. I will scream out right now for everyone to hear that I'm faking it and that you're forcing me. I know I'll be killed for it but knowing you' and him would be caught makes it bloody fucking worth it.

Lucius stared into her frantic, angry eyes unsettlingly, he knew from the terrifyingly serious tone in her voice that she wasn't bluffing. He swallowed down his disdain of her threat, "Oh, Brusto, leave her alone then," he said in casual cover up to his friend.

Brusto chuckled horribly, his double chin wobbling into his pigeon chest, "She's a bit shy then eh? Maybe some other time, in fact, I'm sure of it."

Hermione turned violently green and tried to swallow her throat, but it felt full of hardening cement. She dashed away from them to the nearest bathroom.

Harry had betrayed her… She was being forced to sleep with Draco or she'd have Lucius to deal with… she had to be in the presence of that vile disgusting murderer Karkaroff…the whole encounter had upset her so terribly much that she needed to dash to the nearest restroom and vomit violently.

On top of her stomach muscles aching horrendously from becoming so ill so fast, Hermione's bones felt like ice to her and her complexion was white as a ghost. She was curled up on the cold hard tile floor when Lucius must have sent Narcissa after her because it wasn't long before she came swaggering in.

"Now deary, don't be too long, people are expecting you…."

… … …

Drained of all she had, she robotically and without no emotion danced with numerous guests after that, even Fudge himself. Hermione thought briefly for anything that she might be able to say to him, knowing very well he was in touch with Dumbledore, anything she could say at all to convey that the marriage was fake and Lucius did not tolerate muggles. She knew any addition to what she hoped Dumbledore was telling him could only help him believe it, especially if it was from the supposed "wife" of Draco herself.

"This is so wonderful, it's like a love story," said Fudge, "You two are just like Romeo and Juliet. No… wait," he said, fumbling awkwardly, "except, you aren't going to kill yourselves. Well, uh, then I mean it's like Cinderella… only you didn't live with your wicked step family… and they didn't turn out to be wicked…"

'What an idiot,' thought Hermione.

"Either way!" said Fudge, "I think it's absolutely great that you two are so upfront about getting together, it's an example to everyone who didn't believe mixing blood could work."

Hermione smiled awkwardly, "Yes," she said, "It almost is unbelievable,"

"Er, yes, almost," said Fudge, "… and to be so public about it! It's truly great, inviting everyone to celebrate with you."

"Actually," said Hermione, "I don't know if you noticed, but there are hardly any Gryffindor alumni here, or any of my family."

Fudge chuckled, "Don't be ridiculous, your great uncle walked you down the isle. And we all heard the tragic news of your father… in the middle of a sword fishing expedition, lost days of travel because of storm..."

"My father?" said Hermione, "the dentist? Sword fishing? In November?"

But Fudge was barely listening to her; he was too busy waving and nodding to his employees. He half laughed, "Well it's a different season where he is… Australia right?"

Hermione sighed in disappointment, it didn't seem like Dumbledore had talked to Fudge about anything, which infuriated her. Was the Order to prideful to except the help of the Ministry? Wasn't Dumbledore the one always talking about good working relationships! It would be very beneficial for Fudge to be warned about Lucius, especially after all the Ministry related things she had found!

The song ended and Fudge bowed to her graciously and sauntered off. Unable to define her misery even to herself, Hermione made her way back to the head table. She hadn't even eaten yet, but she had absolutely no appetite. Instead she took a glass of wine, sipping it deeply, desperate for anything to unclench her nerves, to warm her ice cold bones, to make her stop worrying that her skin was literally crawling off.

Suddenly Sarah was waving to her, beckoning her over. She was sitting next to a very distracted and glum looking man with long brown shoulder length hair, who was absent mindedly and somewhat hastily poking at his sirloin.

"This is my Dad, Landon Malfoy," said Sarah.

The man slowly looked up, and he appeared to genuinely smile, as if just for his daughter, "It's a pleasure to meet you Hermione, Sarah's told me all about you," He said kindly, "My dear nephew must be head over heels to find such a lovely young lady."

Hermione smiled for the first time in hours. She wondered how much this man would know about the wedding. He knew very well his brother was a Death Eater, and that he was in contact with the Dark Lord. Had Sarah told him she was marrying Malfoy against her will?

"Landon," said Augustus, approaching suddenly, "Dinner with Nicholas Greenly, have you arranged it?"

"Yes! Yes!" said Landon in annoyance, almost cowering in Augustus's presence "I've already told Lucius, tomorrow at seven."

"Just making sure," said Augustus, looking at him sternly, "Brusto will be pleased, I'll go tell him." Then he turned and left, saying nothing more.

Sarah shot Hermione a sideways glance of mixed anxiety and annoyance, "Who is Nicholas Greenly Daddy?" asked Sarah.

"Oh just someone Daddy used to work with when I was at the Ministry."

"Was he a Counter like you were?" she asked.

"Not at the time no, he was just an assistant. Now he is though."

Sarah subtly nodded her head to the left, gesturing across the ball room for Hermione to look.

Hermione turned away and watched all of Lucius's guests, having a grand and fun time. From across the ballroom she could see Lucius chatting with Fudge and another man, she could only assume Sarah was trying to show her Nicholas Greenly, the man who she feared would hog her father while he visited.

He looked pleasant enough… but for some reason he looked strangely familiar. Hermione got a strong feeling of déjà vu, as if she had seen that man before exactly as he was then, chatting pleasantly with party guests. Just then Lucius had said something to make Fudge and Greenly laugh mirthfully, apparently the fake ass-kissing bastard had said something quite funny.

'I fucking hate you,' she thought firmly, staring at Lucius, and finishing her glass of wine in one gulp.

… … …

A/N: Some of you may be very interested in reviewing this chapter to get the next one posted, some friends and I have a particularly scandalous and adult chapter in the works. …Damn, I am evil.