Right, next chapter. A bit more about what happened over the summer now; I think there will be a lot more now, because I want to get it out of the way. Thank you for the reviews, please keep reviewing, it does make me so happy to think that people are enjoying my stories. The past is in italics.
Chapter FiveHermione sat in McGonagall's office, and Snape glared at her from the second teacher's seat that had been conjured up. The three sat in silence until the forth member of the meeting arrived.
When Draco did arrive, he looked around, saw Hermione, and made his way over, taking the seat next to hers.
"Now that we are all here." McGonagall coughed. "I have received some letters from your parents," she nodded to Draco, "and your aunt." She looked to Hermione. "They all express a wish for you to be moved in together in one of the dormant apartments we have around the castle. As you are married, we have seen fit to arrange this." Hermione and Draco looked at each other, and nodded silently. Snape sneered, but said nothing.
"Your rooms are now in the west wing of the castle, no where near Gryfindor tower or Slytherin dungeon." McGonagall said. "You are to pack your things and bring them to the fourth corridor, where you will be directed to your new rooms. Off you go."
The two exited the room and looked at each other, Draco smirked.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"It's just funny that we get married, and then move in together." He grinned at her, and placed his hand on her hips. "At least you won't have to go near any of the Gryfindors at night times." His grin became a little toothier. "You can stay with me."
"Yes." Hermione said. "I'll be glad to have some space from them."
"Go and get your stuff, I'll meet you there." He gripped her hands, and then walked away towards the dungeons.
"Where are you going?" Ginny asked coldly, leaning on the doorframe into the seventh year girl's dormitory.
"McGonagall is moving me." She told her, looking around the room she will miss dearly.
"Where?" Ginny warmed up immediately in the face of loosing her friend.
"At the request of our parents," Hermione stressed that the idea was not hers, so as not to hurt her friend, "Draco and I are moving in together."
"I see." Ginny watched her pack her clothes. "Can I come visit?"
"Of course." Hermione smiled at her. Ginny smiled back and ran to her friend and they embraced one another.
"I'm sorry, Hermione." Ginny said earnestly.
"I know. Ron's your brother, I completely understand. I hate myself for doing this to him." Hermione closed the trunk and placed a sleepy Crookshanks on the top.
Hermione levitated her packed trunk through the door and down the stairs. Everyone in the common room looked up at her as she moved her things.
"Leaving school, Malfoy?" Someone shouted nastily in the corner. Hermione said nothing. She walked quickly to the portrait hole.
"Where are you going, 'Mione?" A voice asked as she stalked the corridor. She turned to see Ron watching her.
"I'm leaving the common room." She told him, placing her trunk on the floor. "McGonagall thought it would be best, seeming as you all hate me." She told herself not to be weak and resort to tears again.
"I don't hate you, Hermione." Ron told her. "I just… You…"
"I know. You hate my family."
"They aren't your family." Ron protested. Hermione saw the anger and horror in his eyes when she suggested that, and let out a world weary sigh. How would he ever understand what she had done?
"They are now." Hermione said, sadly, but firmly. "They actually are my family. Lucius Malfoy is my father-in-law." She turned from him, levitating her trunk again. "You're the one that made me choose between my family and my friends, Ron, never forget that." She shut her eyes, and began to walk away from him again. He said nothing, but she could feel his eyes on her back as she left.
Draco turned as she entered the corridor, and smiled shyly at her. She came to a stop next to him, and he touched her arm. Crookshanks jumped from his position on top of Hermione's trunk into Draco's arms, he petted the cat and it purred. McGonagall arrived a minute after Hermione did.
"Ah, I see you are both here." McGonagall said briskly. "Come along." She led them to a painting of a married couple on their wedding day, and behind McGonagall's back, Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione, who giggled silently. "The password is 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia', but I'm sure you will want to change that." She looked at the two of them.
"How about we change it to 'Clara'?" Draco said, with a small smile at Hermione, who nodded.
"Right, fine. Password changio 'Clara'." McGonagall waved her arms over the picture, and the two in the painting smiled at each other, the painting swinging forwards. "Inside with the two of you." The levitated their trunks inside and found a decent sized room with a fireplace, a small kitchen, a bookcase and some sofas and a table and chairs. Crookshanks jumped from Draco's arms and curled up on a chair next to the fire. "The bedroom" – McGonagall looked disapprovingly at the offending door- "is through there, and the bathroom is that way. You will be expected to go downstairs to eat, but you don't have to, as a kitchen has been included." She looked back at them. "I will see you in class tomorrow." With that she left.
"Well." Draco said as he looked around. "It's nice." He strolled over to the bedroom door and opened the door, looking in. "It's very nice." He smirked, and pointed his wands at their trunks, bringing them into the room and placing them at the foot of the double bed. Hermione walked into the room and rolled her eyes at his expression.
"What were you expecting?" She asked, and his grin grew wider, as he advanced on her, so that she was between him and the bed.
"I was expecting a place to be …alone with my wife. And," in a swift movement he pounced on her, making her fall backwards on the bed and landing on top of her, "that is exactly what I got." He said into her ear, kissing her on the cheek, and then moving to her neck. Hermione giggled, and pushed a slightly disappointed Draco off of her, standing up.
"Will you be serious?" She asked, he lay on the bed and pouted at her.
"I was being serious." He told her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Shouldn't we unpack first?" She opened her trunk. Draco brought out his wand and flicked it. His trunk burst open and clothes streamed out of both of their trunks, flying into the allotted wardrobes and chest of drawers that had been provided.
"All unpacked." He concluded, kneeling up on the bed and grabbing her by her robes and pulling her in to him. "Time to be serious." He mumbled in her ear, and she sighed.
"Draco." Hermione said, and he stopped caressing her neck and looked her in the eyes, concerned.
"What's wrong?" He asked, and she sighed again, sitting next to him. He shifted so he was sitting too.
"Ron called out to me as I was leaving the common room. He said he didn't hate me." She told him.
"That's a good thing, isn't it? He's one of your best friends." Draco touched her hair, and she smiled. Draco understood that she needed Ron and Harry. He didn't judge her on it; he didn't look angry and horrified at the suggestion. She wondered what she would ever do without him now.
"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to realise who I am now. It just struck me, he's a Weasley, and I'm a Malfoy. We can't be friends anymore. His parents will never welcome me, we're on different sides." He played with her fingernails, and Draco sighed.
"It's true; you and he can't go back to the way you were. His family and mine have been battling even before the Dark Lord came to power."
"I know, but now he's destroyed..." Hermione looked at him, but he shook his head.
"Another will take his place, Hermione. Both my family and yours will be by their side. Our ancestors made blood oaths, with the blood that runs through our veins as well. It's not fair, I know, but we've both joined a side, even without getting involved; I mean Weasley's not exactly going to welcome me with open arms at dinner parties, is he?" Draco smiled. "I mean, I have tried to not get into fights with him, for your sake, I've just avoided him."
"Why does it have to be that way?" Hermione asked.
"Because it just…has to." Draco told her. "There may possibly be a time when we have to fight him." There was silence for a few minutes. "Do you regret it?" Hermione looked up.
"What?" Draco looked her in the eyes and repeated his question.
"Do you regret it? I mean, would you rather-"
"No." Hermione shook her head and place her hands on his cheeks. "No, well, I did, before, I thought, but now… No, Draco, I don't regret this," she took his left hand "at all." She kissed him, and he pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. "You've been my life raft in this crazy mess." Hermione told him, and he smiled, kissing her again.
"Morning, Hermione." Her aunt opened the curtains to her hotel room. "Did you sleep well?"
"No." Hermione told her. She had been tossing and turning all night, having nightmares about her father serving under Voldemort. She also had a dream that Ron and Harry found out and Ron fell out of love with her…
"Aww, well I'm sure you'll recover at breakfast, dear." She said, sitting on the end of her bed. Hermione sighed. "That Draco is a nice boy." She added, looking at Hermione oddly.
"Yes." Hermione agreed, tired of the endless fight she had had with her Aunt the night before.
"Well, as Lucuis and your uncle have a lot to discuss, and Narcissa and I have to take young Helena shopping for her recital when she gets back to England. She's going to be in your school next term, didn't you know? Anyway, Narcissa and I were thinking that maybe you and Draco should spend some time together." Hermione sat up.
"What?" She almost shouted, her aunt hissed for her to be quiet.
"He really is a charming boy, I'm sure you'll grow to like him, in time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, suspiciously.
"Nothing dear, I just mean that you could get to know and like him, you never know."
"I know I'll never grow to like him." Hermione answered stubbornly.
"We shall see." Her Aunt said.
Hermione snapped awake, sitting up with a gasp. Draco moved beside her as his arm slipped off her in her panic.
"What is it?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow.
"I…just had a nightmare."
"About your father?" Draco asked seriously, his eyebrows furrowed. Hermione nodded. Draco reached up and held her, and she lay back into his arms, and he kissed her temple. "I know this is still weird for you." He told her. "There's nothing I can say to make this better, is there?" Hermione shook her head. "I'm here for you; I'm not going to leave you." He told her.
"Is that true, though?" She asked, turning so she was facing him. He nodded.
"Yes." He kissed her nose and she smiled.
"Even if The New Dark Lord calls you to arms?" Hermione asked, and Draco watched her.
"I'm not a Death Eater yet." He told her, and she gripped his arm.
"I know, and I'm glad that you're not, because it would be weird." She told him. "But when you are, will you leave."
"Well, yes I would have to; there is a blood oath to consider. If I didn't we would always be on the run, our children would be hunted their entire lives, and their children, and their children's children. But the new heir may not rise for a long, long time." He told her, and she sighed, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.
"Everything is so strange." She said mournfully.
"Yes, it is." Draco admitted. "I'm glad this is working, though." He told her.
"Me too." She looked at him and he smiled, kissing her, rolling her on to her back.
"At least this isn't strange." He said.
"Well, this is strange." Draco said as they passed through the doors of the hotel, after saying goodbye to the adults and Helena. "I knew you were my age, and possibly at Hogwarts, but Granger, I'd have never guessed it was you." He smiled at her. "What do you want to do?"
"What?" Hermione snapped. "Why aren't you insulting me?" Draco looked confusedly at her.
"Why would I insult you?" Hermione threw her arms up in exasperation.
"Because I'm the stupid Mudblood know-it-all bitch you've hated for six years?" She replied.
"You're not a Mudblood." Draco told her, furrowing his eyebrows. "I thought you were told that?"
"I was, but that doesn't change the fact that you hate me!" She told him.
"Doesn't it?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. "After all, blood is blood, Granger."
"What, so just because it turns out my parents are friends of your parents, I'm in?"
"Look, Granger." He sighed, as if trying to explain something to someone very small. "The world of the more powerful pure blood families," he said this in a way which made Hermione think that Ron and his family didn't apply, "is a mine field of politics and relations. Especially since…" Hermione knew the end of the sentence, even though he didn't say it – 'Especially since Voldemort was destroyed.' He continued. "The Bellatours and the Malfoys have always been friends, and it is important that we carry this on to the next generation." Draco shrugged. "Like I said, blood is blood. I apologise for my behaviour towards you, I'd have never thought your parents would send you to Hogwarts thinking you were a muggle born. And it would never have occurred to me that you would be put in Gryffindor." He shook his head.
"You act like you knew about me." She said suspiciously.
"That's because I did. I was told that a girl from the Bellatour family would be at Hogwarts with me." Hermione sighed angrily.
"This is ridiculous." She said.
"True, but as it is we have a whole day to spend together." He opened the door of the car for her, and she climbed in, he nodded to the driver. "What do you want to do?"
"Draco…" Hermione cooed in his ear, and he frowned, mumbling in his sleep. "Come on, Draco." He blew in his ear, and he closed his eyes tightly, and she smiled, blowing softly again. "Time to get up, Draco." Slowly he opened his eyes, and looked up at her.
"Hermione?" She nodded, and he looked around, realising where he was, and he turned back to her. She smiled at him.
"Morning, sleepy." He kissed her on the forehead.
"Morning, love." Her smile decreased a little as he called her by his pet name, and then she stood, fully dressed already.
"Breakfast is soon." She told him. "Get changed." She left the room.
"I have to say, I had fun." Draco admitted as they walked back to the car. "Even if mini golf isn't something I'd usually do." He looked over to Hermione and grinned. She smiled back.
"I had fun too. It's odd; I never pegged you as someone who would even think about playing mini golf."
"I wouldn't have pegged you as a mini golf person, either." He returned, and they looked at each other and laughed. They climbed into the car, and Draco directed the driver to take them to a restaurant for lunch. Then he stared out of the window. Hermione watched him subtly from her vantage point. One morning as his friend had shattered her illusions about the boy. He was funny, and sometimes even sweet. It seems he had barriers against his enemies that blocked her from his side of him before. She turned back to the window with a silly smile on her face, and didn't notice as he turned his head to look at her.
Hermione and Draco walked to the Great Hall in silence. They had found this happy medium of silence truce useful, and were comfortable with the lack of communication.
Once they reached the Great Hall, Hermione took her leave of her husband and sat on her own in the Gryfindor camp, as far away as possible from Ron and Harry. Ginny looked at her sadly, but made no attempt to move closer to her. Hermione made herself some cereal and then twiddled her spoon in her cereal miserably. After around three mouthfuls, she stood and left the table again.
In the evening, Hermione wore a beautiful blue dress with matching shoes to dinner. Her Aunt oversaw the details on her, making sure that the hotel staff had place the correct jewellery on her and that he make up was flawless, and then they walked to the restaurant. Hermione keeping her stony silence all the way to the table.
Draco stood as the ladies reached the table, and pulled out a chair for Hermione, at the same time her Uncle pulled one out for her Aunt. She smiled graciously at him and sat down, and he took his seat next to her.
"So, how did you enjoy Las Vegas?" He asked her. Hermione could feel her Aunt's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head as she answered.
"It is very exciting, I haven't really been to a place like this before." The conversation was free and easy. She had never thought she would feel this comfortable sitting next to Draco Malfoy, but now she knew that her parents had sided with Voldemort, she felt an affinity with him she had never felt before.
"Well, you will be most surprised when we go to New York next week." He told her, lifting his glass to her. "You look amazing by the way." He smiled at him.
"As do you." He grinned.
"You don't have to jest, I was being serious."
"As was I." She countered and he laughed. The meal progressed lightly and everyone enjoyed themselves. After the meal, Draco leant forward and whispered into Hermione's ear.
"Meet me outside in ten minutes." He looked into her eyes and she nodded. Then he stood, turned to the table and inclined his head. "I must take my leave now, thank you for the enjoyable dinner and I will see you all in the morning." The five others around the table, who had noticed the exchange, bid him goodnight and he left. Five minutes later, Hermione also took her leave, and left the table amongst approving looks from her Aunt, Uncle and Draco's parents.
Hermione walked over to Hagrid's cabin for her Care of Magical Creatures lesson. She was early; in fact she was about 10 minutes early, having left the Great Hall extremely early. She didn't care; there was no one to bother her here. Whilst she was standing in the cold, Hagrid came out of his hut.
"Hermione, what're yer doing here so early?" He asked her, with a frown on his face. "Come in before you catch yer death." He ushered her into his cabin and she sat down in the armchair by the table. "Where are Ron and Harry?"
"They aren't speaking to me." Hermione told him.
"Ah, well, yes, I can understand tha'." Hagrid shifted uncomfortably.
"Can you?" Hermione asked dryly.
"Well, you did, well, yer know…"
"Yes, yes, marry the enemy. That's all I've been hearing out of anybody these days. No one really wants to talk to me anymore. I'm not Hermione anymore, I'm Malfoy's wife. The only person that will talk to me these days is my darling husband!" The last sentence was dripping in sarcasm. Hagrid shifted a little, and then sat down. Fang came over and sniffed at Hermione's rings, and then went to his bed in the corner. Hermione sighed.
"So what's Malfoy like?" Hagrid asked. Hermione looked up.
"What?"
"Well, you know, when yer on his good side so to speak." Hagrid coughed. Hermione smiled at him.
"He's…sweet, and caring and just, supportive." Hermione told him.
"Really?" Hagrid asked, astonished. Hermione nodded.
"He really, truly cares about me. That's what Ron and Harry refuse to see."
"Yer can't be blaming them for that, Hermione." Hagrid looked at her sternly. "Malfoy's done nothing to show them that he's not all bad."
"I know, I know. That's what's so frustrating." Hermione sighed. "The amount of stuff they won't know, or can't know. It all just circulates until even I'm confused."
"What're you talking about?" Hermione looked up at him.
"Nothing." She said. Hagrid looked at her oddly.
"You know who Malfoy's parents are, Hermione. In this time of uncertainty, well, the Malfoys are on the other side to us, Hermione. Where does that put you? That's what I'm worried about."
"That puts me on neither side. It puts me with Draco." She said stubbornly. "Draco and his family know about my position."
"His parents' know?" Hagrid's brow furrowed. Hermione nodded.
"They even approve of the match, if you can figure that one out." She looked out of the window. "Everyone is arriving." She said, and Hagrid looked confused for a moment, then realised.
"O'course. The lesson, well, come on, outside with yer." He ushered her outside, to the incoming Slytherins and Gryfindors.
"You and Draco seem to be getting on well." Hermione's Aunt said.
"Yes, we are, Aunt Clara." Hermione said, smiling to herself. She was racked with guilt, thinking about Ron, but she couldn't help but enjoy herself. On the way to New York they had talked non stop. All her opinions of him changed, it was surreal to be looking forward to seeing him again. Helena was sweet too; she and Draco had a relationship akin to that of siblings that made Hermione's heart melt. The night before they had walked all around the city, experiencing the raw excitement of Vegas, and she had not had much sleep that night.
"Ah, well, all the better." Her aunt told her. Hermione's suspicions were tweaked again.
"What does that mean?" Her Aunt just smiled.
"You'll see."
"Hermione?" A hand waved in front of her face and she woke up from the memory. Draco stood there, looking confused. "You've been spacing out a lot recently. Are you alright?" She smiled and nodded. The bell rang out over the grounds.
"Right, well, finish yer class work and hand it in next lesson!" Hagrid boomed at them as they packed their things and left. Ron threw Hermione a dirty look and Draco glared at him, pulling Hermione into his side and wrapping his arm around her, Ron looked away.
"I have to talk to him at some point." Hermione told him. Draco nodded.
"I know, I just wish he'd stop being so hostile. D'you think I should try and talk to him?" Hermione laughed.
"No. Anything you say or do anywhere near him will start a sequence of events that will get you both expelled." A look of distress touched her face, but then she smiled and rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "Then I'll be Draco-less for the rest of the year." She pouted and Draco laughed.
"Well, we can't have that." He grinned at her. Hermione smiled back.
"No, we couldn't have that." She parroted, watching Ron's retreating back.
