All Hermione wants to know is one thing: why is Cory trying so hard to get her to reject him? Cory's worst nightmare. Hermione comforts Cory.
Cory dragged his friends into the library and huddled in a corner of the room. He couldn't stop laughing himself. 'Damn, what was it about that girl that made him feel like smiling?' The memory of her angry little body trying to get out of that icebox would be in his memory a long time. He honestly HADN'T tried to scare the girl that time. He just wanted to know what she was doing. Hell, he'd felt his own feet lift up. He'd been afraid he was going to topple in there with her! He'd finally gotten a hold of her, only to fall down with her sitting on him! He KNEW she'd felt him harden again. She'd had to because she was sitting right on top of it!
The three boys finally got themselves under control except for a random snigger or snort of laughter now and again. "Ok, when I said to get to know her, I didn't mean like that, Cory!" Jaron said, still chuckling. Cory shrugged sheepishly. He wondered how long it would take her to get over this little incident.
"Hey, I didn't intend to do that! I just wanted to see what she was doing. Seriously, how could she have not heard me walk into the room?" Cory rubbed his jaw in confusion.
"Well, you can be pretty damn sneaky when you want to be." Thorfinn said. Cory snorted at him.
"Well, I wasn't trying to be sneaky this time, was I? It was nobody's fault but hers that she didn't hear me." he told them. "How do you two feel about your girls? Think you'll be able to get along with them?"
Thorfinn thought about Katie Bell. "We'll get along pretty good, I think. I'll just have to keep from making her mad. The girl's got a hell of a throw. It wouldn't do for the kids to see her throwing teacups at their dad's head, would it?" Cory and Jaron chuckled at that mental image.
"All I know is I hope Cho doesn't start crying all over me. I'm rubbish with crying women. I'll send her over to one of you!" Jaron shuddered, apparently dreading seeing Chang cry. He'd never known how to deal with his own mum and sisters crying, much less a wife! They stayed huddled in the far corner of the room. They weren't about to go back to the kitchen until they had to.
Back in the kitchen, Hermione was still raging over what she thought had been a trick by Yaxley. Katie, Cho and Lavender were quick to reassure her that it hadn't been a trick. He'd been just as surprised as she was. After that, she stewed over that last little crack he'd made. 'Conjure a mattress, indeed! As if!' She might be trying to make the best of a bad situation but she definitely wasn't ready to go that far yet!' Remembering his body underneath her, she felt her face flaming. 'Evidently, he would have no objection at all to going that far already.' After the girls got Hermione calmed down, she strode into the library. The three boys were standing at the bookcase.
Hermione boldly walked right up to him and pinned him against it. He looked down at her and frowned. "What the hell-?"
"Just tell me one thing! Is it because I'm Muggleborn or because YOU had no choice about signing it? Because I can tell it's NOT because you're not attracted to me! Tell me! Why don't you want me signing that contract?" she demanded.
Thorfinn and Jaron slid away from them to give them some privacy. This wasn't an issue for them to be involved in. This was something that only Cory and Hermione could deal with. They were hoping like hell that Cory would open up to her about his father and why he was so scared to marry her. It would be best for both of them if the boy would just let her know how he felt about her. Granger was smart and they had no doubt, if anyone could help Cory keep them safe from Yaxley Sr, it would be her. If Cory would just let her in! Cory looked down at her in exasperation.
"Damnit, Granger! You should know why! He bloody spoke to you at the prison! Don't say he didn't because I know he did! There's no bloody way he would stand there after THAT announcement and let you walk away without a word!" Cory snipped at her. Hermione wished she could deny it because he was staring at HER accusingly. Unfortunately, there was no way to deny it. Yaxley Sr had indeed spoken to her at the prison. Kingsley was right. She could see that now: Cory was terrified of his father and he knew him too well.
"Yes. He did speak to me. Kingsley said it was as close as your father would ever get to giving us his blessing. What does that have to do with anything?" she asked warily. Cory snorted at her as he ran his fingers through his long, blond hair.
"Blessing or a warning? Kingsley thinks he knows my dad? Nobody knows my dad like me. I grew up under his bloody thumb. Tell me what he said. I'll tell you what he meant. We'll just see if he was threatening us or blessing us!" Cory told her. Hermione thought back, trying to recall exactly what Yaxley Sr had said to her the other day. Cringing as she suddenly remembered every word of it, she slowly repeated it to Cory.
"He said 'Get over here, you filthy little mudblood! Your Muggles, they have a saying, muddy. "'You can't teach an old dog new tricks. But sometimes, a young pup can be retrained"'. The first one better damn well be a boy and he better damn well receive the family name, mudblood'. And that was it." Hermione watched Cory's face carefully as he processed what his father had said.
"Well, at least the man is consistent with his insults. That was no blessing, Granger. It was a threat. The first one better be a boy? He better receive the family name? He wants the HEIR born first and we better be married by the time HE'S born. If we should marry and you have a girl, he'll kill you both. No second chance baby for you to try for that boy. That's what he meant by that, sweetheart." Cory told her. Hermione's eyes grew wide with fear. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Still wanna sign that contract, darling?" Then he straightened up and walked out, Thorfinn and Jaron right on his heels.
Hermione gasped for breath as she wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering with fear. She suddenly understood now why Cory was so afraid of his father, why he was so willing to go right back to Azkaban. If the man was willing to kill his muggleborn daughter in law and a newborn daughter, it was a wonder that Cory had managed to survive his own childhood. She needed to talk to Kingsley, NOW! She walked into the drawing room and sat on the couch to wait for him. Eventually he came back to the room, talking to Arthur and Remus. He slowed down at the sight of her tearstained face and sat down beside her. "Hermione? Dear, what's wrong?" He hugged Hermione close, trying to offer her some comfort.
"Exactly how sure are you that Cory's dad will not be out of Azkaban anytime soon? He just told me that wasn't his father's blessing. It was a threat against me if I don't have a son the first time." She looked up at him hesitantly. Kingsley let out a short puff of breath.
"I'm not very sure at all. I know Azkaban used to be hard as hell to break out of. Then starting with Sirius, it became consistently easier to break out. Frankly, I'm surprised that he hasn't already broken out. I'm not sure if its because Cory was also there and he didn't want to leave HIS heir behind or what. There's no way to tell when he might try to break out. He might NOT break out, now that Cory is free. Besides, another requirement of the new law is, once all the young men and women are paired, the older unmarried wizards and witches will also be subject to the law, unless they are incarcerated. So you see, there's a reason for him to break out but there's also a reason for him to stay inside. As long as he's incarcerated, he gets to remain a single man." Kingsley shrugged his shoulders. He'd long given up attempting to figure out how the older Yaxley's mind operated. "There's one thing I do know. Whenever he does make his breakout, he won't be alone. Rowle Sr and Mulciber Sr will be right on his heels. They stick together, very much the same way their boys stick together".
Hermione took a deep breath. "Is there any possible way at all to hide us once we're married? He pretty much told me the only way I'd survive being a Yaxley is to have a son right off the bat. What if I DO have a girl? His father will kill us both and probably him for even daring to marry me!" she sobbed at the thought of him dying. Arthur and Remus were watching her sympathetically.
"We could make them a safe house, couldn't we, Kingsley? I would be honored to be get a Secret Keeper for her." Arthur offered a possible solution to the sticky situation.
"I'd also like to be a Secret Keeper. Tonks would want to be one as well." Remus spoke up quietly as Dora peeked in the door. He held his hand out and she came over to lean against him, her bubble gum pink hair shining brightly.
"Are the boys eating?" he asked her. Dora looked up at him, chewing on her lip. Then she shook her head.
"Not as much as you'd think they would. Maybe its because they're still used to the small portions given out at Azkaban or it could be that Cory is simply pushing his food around and the other two are following his lead." she offered quietly. Hermione stood up.
"Hermione?" they all three looked at her. She took a deep breath and looked back at them.
"Excuse me, please. I have a fiancée to feed. I think, if I go in there and give him something to think about, possibly it might get him distracted enough to eat without thinking about it." she gave them a small smile. "About our discussion, Kingsley, if any of you think of anything, please let me know." She walked quickly out of the room. Arthur and Remus were smiling at her proud display of Gryffindor courage.
Hermione paused outside the kitchen door, closed her eyes and brought up a mental picture of the gorgeous boy she was engaged to. It gave her the courage to go through with the half formed idea she'd had in the drawing room. She put a big smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen. Cory was sitting at the table, closest to the door. Catching him completely off guard, she walked up behind him, leaned around his shoulder and kissed him. "Like it or not, I WILL be signing that contract."
Cory's jaw dropped as she went to her seat and began eating. Thorfinn and Jaron were both hiding grins as he absently began eating, all the while keeping a wary eye on his fiancé. She looked up at him innocently. "We'll be going to the Burrow either tomorrow or the next day. I think you'll enjoy it there. You'll be able to go outside. They have a huge field there. You'll be able to play Quidditch.
Thorfinn immediately grinned happily as he turned his attention to Katie. "You do still play Quidditch? We haven't played about how long now, Jaron?"
"Its been a year and six months since we've played. We were called into war and were cut from our team as soon as they realized we were Marked. No respectable Quidditch team wants to be known for harboring Death Eaters." Jaron shrugged. "Even if we were the best two Beaters they ever had." He winked at Cho with a flirty smile. She propped her chin on her hand as she returned the smile.
Katie smiled at Thorfinn. "Yeah. I'm still a Chaser. Cho is still a Seeker. The Harpies have put us on temporary leave while we get married and get to know our new husbands."
"Well, then. We should get this show on the road. The sooner we get everything settled, the sooner Jaron and I can be in the stands, cheering our wives on to victory, yeah?" Thorfinn said with a wide smile.
They watched Cory and Hermione as the two eyed each other across the table. After they ate, the couples were all sent to the library to begin the process of getting to know each other. Thorfinn and Jaron commandeered one of the couches as they talked Quidditch with Katie and Cho. Harry pulled Hermione down with him and Luna on his other side, leaving space open for Cory. Arthur, Molly, Remus and Tonks came into the room in time to see Ron and Lavender take the last couple of seats on the U-shaped sectional couch. All of them except Hermione were talking Quidditch. She was listening quietly as they discussed how much the Quidditch league had changed since the war.
Cory kept his eyes downcast but he was aware of every single time Hermione shifted next to him. He eyed her knee and wondered just how soft the skin of her inner thigh was. Even after he TOLD her what would happen to her, she still didn't seem to heed the danger she was in. Knowing that his friends wanted to get better acquainted with their girls, he contributed just enough to the conversation to not be called anti-social, even though none of his remarks were directed at Hermione. He had decided to quit fighting her for the moment. It would give him time to figure out his next scare tactic. There had to be SOME way of scaring her away from him. All he needed, he thought, was to find out about someone she was better acquainted with and had more in common with. Then get her attention turned to them, thereby turning his father's murderous attention away from her. But who could that be? Maybe one of her own friends from school? Potter and Weasley were out as they had their own matches but surely there was one person she had to like from her own year.
Finally it grew late enough for everyone to retire for the night. The three boys were escorted up and locked into their suite. Hermione and Ginny normally roomed together but since the additional guests had arrived, Molly had turned their room into a suite for the girls. Hermione was in the bed over Cory's room. Cho was over Jaron's room and Katie was over Thorfinn's room. Ginny and Lavender had been moved to another room down the hall.
Cory undressed, fell into bed without bothering with pajamas and fell asleep almost immediately, as did Thorfinn and Jaron. All three were exhausted from having to constantly keep their guards up around their fathers. Now that they were away from them, they could relax somewhat and slowly get used to socializing again. Hermione, Cho and Katie were all in her room. They were reading over their copies of the marriage contracts again. Once again, it was brought to their attention, with that very first line, that they were the ones with the right of refusal. If the boys, or Cory in particular, kept fighting the contract, he would be taken straight back to Azkaban and made to serve his full sentence.
Knowing the Dementors had been reinstated at Azkaban, they figured the boys would have nightmares for a while. If they listened carefully, they could hear them tossing and turning just below them. Pretty soon they could hear a steadily rising sound from below. It took a few minutes but Hermione finally realized what was happening. Before they could stop her, she'd jumped up and dashed out of her room. By now, everyone else could also hear what was going on. They were all popping their heads out the doors. When they saw Hermione run by, they quickly hurried after her. She outran them all as she tore down the stairs and ran into Cory's room.
Cory was sleeping peacefully for the first time in a long time. The bed was soft, the covers were warm and all that was missing was the young witch upstairs, who was not in his arms. He quickly fell into a dream, the first good dream he'd had in a very long time. There was a smile on his face as he began dreaming about Hermione.
***start of dream ***
'Her brown hair spilled over his arm as he looked down at her. Merlin, she was so beautiful. Their first time together was magical. It fulfilled all of his dreams of her. She came walking down the aisle, swollen with their first child. He couldn't believe this beautiful girl was willingly tying herself to him. They were at home, Yaxley Manor. Their child would be the first child born in this house since his own birth. They were decorating the nursery by hand. They could easily have let the house elves do it but Hermione wanted to do it herself, like her mother and father had. Her labor pains had started and the baby was on its way. A small cry echoed through the room! A girl, a beautiful baby girl!'
Then suddenly his dream turned into a nightmare image. 'The door busted open. It was his father! His dad blasted him across the room and immobilized him against the wall. All he could do was watch in terror as the man approached his wife and child. "I told you, mudblood! Didn't I tell you?! I said it loud and clear! The first one better be a boy! This! This is not a boy, mudblood! Crucio! Crucio!" Cory could only watch helplessly as Hermione was subjected to the Cruciatus curse time and again. He tried desperately to break the immobilizing spell placed upon him. Then came the dreaded words as his father aimed his wand at both mother and child. "Avada Kadavra!" He watched, horrified, as his father killed his wife and child. Then the man turned to him. "Maybe next time, BOY, you'll take my warning a little more seriously!" Then he took the spell off of him as he walked out, leaving behind a heartbroken son.' Unaware that he was still asleep, Cory was screaming at the top of his lungs, "No! No! No, Hermione! No! No! Please, don't be dead! Don't be dead! Please! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"
***End of dream***
Hermione burst through his door. He was tossing and turning, tangled in his sheets. Thorfinn and Jaron were on either side of the bed but not touching him. "Why aren't you helping him?" she yelled at them. Then she saw why. There was a shimmery barrier around him. They couldn't reach him because he had them blocked out. Hearing him screaming her name gave her a glimmer of an idea. If he was screaming her name, did that mean SHE might possibly be able to penetrate the barrier? She cautiously approached and stretched out her arm.
"You want to be careful there, Granger! He's been known to sling us across the room in his sleep before! It's why neither of us are trying to wake him up!" Jaron warned her. Thorfinn hushed him quickly, realizing the same thing she had.
"Jaron. Hush. It's her he's dreaming about. Maybe she can reach him. It's worth a try, right, Granger?" he asked softly. Watching as she slowly got closer to the barrier and praying that he hadn't just gotten her slung across the room, he let out a breath as her fingers pierced the barrier. Hermione kept pushing through till she was on the other side. Then she hopped up on the bed with the wildly thrashing Cory. With bated breath, they watched as she literally sat down on him and laid her cheek on his own.
"Shhh. I'm here, Cory. I'm not dead. Its me, Hermione. I'm right here with you." she kissed his cheek, hoping to calm him down. "Cory? I'm right here with you. Put your arms around me. Feel me. I'm not dead, Cory. I'm right here with you. I'll stay as long as you need me to." she whispered to him. Amazingly, within seconds, Cory actually stopped screaming and wrapped her tightly in his arms. He didn't wake up but he buried his face in her hair as he gasped for breath. Another minute and he was breathing easier. Hermione turned her head and waved Thorfinn and Jaron off. Seeing that she had Cory calmed down, they retreated back to their doors. Only now did they look around to find the rest of the residents watching in shock as Hermione Granger comforted Cory Yaxley.
"Hermione?" Molly asked uncertainly. Hermione looked back again. Seeing everyone standing there, she looked down at Cory and made her decision. It might be the worst decision she'd ever made, especially as she was the only one on the bed actually dressed, but she couldn't leave him. Not with him this scared, this vulnerable. She needed to be close to him.
"I'll be staying with him tonight. He needs me. He might have another nightmare. I need to stay close to him. It'll be alright. I'll see everyone in the morning." she told them firmly. Thorfinn and Jaron smiled and ducked back into their rooms. Before they could close their doors, Katie and Cho had darted over and joined them. Molly looked at Arthur who looked at Remus. Remus shrugged his shoulders. Kingsley had specifically told the boys that day it would be up to the girls as to when they joined them in bed. The boys weren't allowed to coerce them into bed. Evidently the girls had made their decisions, too. They went out of the room, leaving it unlocked as they didn't know whether any of the girls had remembered to grab their wand before racing down here.
Hermione laid on Cory's chest as she pressed gentle kisses along his jawline. He was finally calmed down enough to loosen his grip on her but she still wasn't going to leave him. For better or worse, she'd made her decision. She wiggled away from him long enough to undress and pull both the sheet and the comforter over both of them. Then she snuggled back onto his chest as he started frowning and mumbling again. She stroked his forehead with one finger. The frown quickly melted away as he felt her in his arms again. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Hermione woke up to Cory kissing her. She smiled as she kissed him back. They didn't say a word as kisses were exchanged and bodies were explored. The only sounds were gasps of pleasure and moans of ecstasy as they found their release in each other. Neither of them were fully awake. Neither of them gave even a single thought to using a Contraceptive spell. Not until they woke up the next morning, realizing what they'd done the night before.