THE LOAN

Chapter 6

Days had passed since their court-mandated "mating ritual," for lack of a better word, and Hermione found herself slowly growing accustomed to her lonesome stay at the Manor. She had no job; women of her "stature" who had been called upon by Merlin's blessings to be able enough to conceive for the cream of society weren't allowed to move around freely like they had been before. It was all very dystopian, and Hermione found herself balking whenever she thought about her current situation too hard.

It felt like someone had wrapped an invisible cord around her neck, and kept pulling – hard.

At least her interactions with Malfoy had been as scarce as possible. It would have been harder under ordinary circumstances when two people were co-habituated under the same roof, but given that the Manor had countless hallways for one to lose their way in, she had avoided any chance encounters with the man.

Not to say that she wasn't going a little mental from the utter lack of human interaction. Missy, the house elf, was a good enough companion to coerce into letting her make tea for herself, but other than that, her conversational skills, unfortunately, stopped short. Hermione being, well, Hermione, had frequented her visits to the library at the Manor, still in rapture at the wondrous tomes that beckoned to her to look in, and she'd taken to reading by her window-sill.

When she wasn't reading, she could still be found at that same window-sill, quietly ruminating, contemplating over things of the past, and what they signified for her present. Any speculation regarding her future was a welcome invitation for the balking and the cord-pulling, so to speak.

One thing in particular that piqued her curiosity was the real reason behind Astoria Malfoy's comatose state. Malfoy had attributed it to a skiing accident, but something about that had felt off from the moment he'd uttered those words. It seemed a little too neat, for her liking, and also didn't explain why healers hadn't been able to snap her out of it yet. Her suspicions had been confirmed upon hearing the house elves discussing the secrecy that shrouded the real reason, but she was yet to uncover the truth. Missy might have seemed like a naïve little house elf, but she was a faithful loyalist to the Malfoy household, and would probably take said secret to her grave. No amount of furtive suggestions or coaxing about her Mistress's conditions seemed to help Hermione uncover the truth from the determined elf, and she had given up trying.

She was lost these thoughts in the privacy of her room, when she heard a knock at her door. Upon admittance, Missy handed over a note to Hermione.

Hermione was surprised. Even more so, when she released that the note was from none other than Malfoy himself. She chewed anxiously at her bottom lip while she read –

Hermione,

I have some business in Diagon Alley today. If you would like, I would be willing to chaperone you into town, since I reckon it has been quite some time since you've been out. You don't have to, obviously, but if you'd like, I'll be leaving at half past noon. Please be ready at the front porch if you would like to accompany me.

~ Draco

And that was it. If this were happening under any other circumstances, she'd have laughed in his face. Draco Malfoy, pureblood Prince, asking Hermione Granger, mudblood extraordinaire, to accompany him. However, seeing as how another moment within the confines of the place she'd been tortured in all those years back might just push her off the brink of sanity, she jumped at this opportunity.

She scoffed at the fact that a simple foray into town had now become an "opportunity" for her. Times were different now, no doubt, she wondered, as she wordlessly showered and donned her sensible black cloak. She said sensible, but she grimaced as she peered into the mirror at her reflection. This was a standard issue cloak, and it was mandated for those in her position to don the same whenever they were in public. It was black on the outside, but scarlet ran the inner lining, as well as the bright witch-red border than ran across the sides of the cloak. Fitting in was not the objective here – they were meant to stand out.

Not so people could awe at them in wonder – but so they could be sought out easily in case they tried anything that…well, anything at all. She scowled at herself in the mirror as she fastened her shoe-laces. The final touch, the cherry on the cake of subservience, was the choker.

The crimson band was leather, hideous and out of place, and it jeered at her from its place on her bedside table. She swept it off its resting place in one quick motion and fastened it around her neck, jutting her chin out so she could glare at the offending strap with all her might. The humiliation of being paraded around in the streets, marked, bound at the neck for all to see, was just something she had to endure for the freedom to walk those streets. They had to know, they had to see that she was spoken for; the red around her neck symbolized that she was a dog that somebody already owned.

At least her master didn't kick her in the stomach.

-X-X-X-

Draco found her already waiting at the porch when he got there, and he hastily averted his eyes when he realized that she had to be in full "get-up" when she was out in public.

'Hey,' he said, nodding in her direction, shoving his hands into hiss cloak pockets.

'Hey,' she whispered back, looking at him.

'Are you ready to go?' he asked, folding his arm at the elbow and holding it out to her. 'For apparating,' he explained.

She nodded again, and placed her hand on his forearm.

They were gone with a whoosh.

At Diagon Alley, Draco glanced furtively around to take in just how much their little world had changed since the passing of these new laws. Security flanked the streets in multifold, identifiable by their dark boots and cap, and the brandish on their arm. The "Protectors" as the Ministry liked to call them, were placed for safety, as a precautionary measure, argued the government, when people had protested against this increase in scrutiny. They all wore black slacks and shirts, and had a crest of swords tattooed on their inner forearm, not quite unlike the dark mark. The Ministry upheld that while Death Eaters were a symbol of oppression, Protectors were a symbol of, well, protection.

He knew his companion would be uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny of the guards, and he spoke to her in a low voice. 'Are you alright?'

He caught the look of surprise on her face at the question, and he was surprised himself. He couldn't help but feel something close to pity for the headstrong witch who was once called the "brightest of her age," but who now needed to be chaperoned whenever she was out in the open, tied to a metaphoric invisible leash, with the collar kept visible.

When she shrugged in response to his question, he sighed. 'I have some business at Gringotts,' he clarified, as they reached the marbled structure. The building was exactly the same as he remembered, rebuilt after its destruction in the war. The only difference was the flag bearing the same crest that marked the guards, which loomed over the entrance.

'Okay,' she muttered. 'Not like I have a say in the matter. I have to go wherever you do.'

This vocalization of what he had been thinking all along made him flinch, he felt a wave of pity wash over him then, and she could probably tell, because she looked away, blinking furiously, probably trying to keep her tears at bay.

'I don't want your pity, Malfoy,' she finally spat out, arms crossed in front of her.

'Let's just get this over with,' he replied, because what else could he say?

As they entered the bank, and its familiar noises jumped out to greet them, Draco had hardly got a chance to walk beyond the foyer-esque front side, when a familiar blonde woman caught eyes with Hermione, causing them both to stop short in their tracks. What was worse was that he also recognized the lean, dark young man accompanying her.

This was certainly going to be an awkward turn of events.

-X-X-X-

A/N – Another horribly long wait, I know, but I do hope you've stuck around for this little story.

This chapter was important for all the little side-notes and details revealed about the way certain things are in this new way of life.

I hope to be writing more soon. Thank you to all those who read and review - it means the world to me. Do let me know what you thought of this chapter!