Hermione pushed open the solid oak double doors with both hands and looked around. It was completely opposite of what she remembered. Granted, she had only seen a small section of the house back then, hadn't been welcomed like a guest. The wide open space really was quite beautiful. Deep, luxurious carpet, sweeping staircases with intricate railings, and picturesque floor to ceiling windows. Pillars held up the massive two story ceiling, and she could see walls of books and lovely furniture and sculptures in between. Malfoy's house was a sea of white and cream and marble and seemed to dazzle. She spotted the boys perched uncomfortably on sofas in a seating area and headed in that direction.

Malfoy was sprawled in an armchair, holding a glass in one hand and and waving the two of them to have a seat next to the boys with the other. Hermione chose to remain standing. "I'd like to know why you think the Ministry officials are so concerned about who I get engaged to," she asked firmly. "It shouldn't matter who I pick as long as the law is being complied with. I don't understand why they would even be involved in my individual decision and how well I've made it. They are not kicking this sort of fuss up about anyone else."

"If you think so poorly of me, then why did you testify on my behalf to the Ministry?" he answered her question with a question, setting down his glass on a lovely marble table with a click and climbing to his feet slowly.

"Don't dodge the question! What do you know?" she hissed at him, her hands coming up to her hips defensively. She would not be sidetracked. No matter how bad his face looked or how his eyes locked on her and seemed to be rooting around in her soul for answers.

"I thought I knew why you testified for me." He tilted his head a bit, staring her down, and she smelled a hint of alcohol on his breath. He continued in the same curious tone, "You see, I thought you testified because it was the right thing to do. Because you were able to look past our silly school rivalry and see that not everyone has the same circumstances as you, the same choices. I believed you when you said that my past and family pressure and loyalties had to be taken into account when judging my behavior, that I was young and had to be given the opportunity to rise above my past. I really really admired you for that."

He scoffed a laugh, his voice turning bitter and mean, his lips twisting sourly. "But the second you find out there is evil being done, my name is at the top of your suspect list. Because I'm a Malfoy, and despite what you said at the Ministry, I therefore must be bad and wrong. Not only capable of cold blooded murder, but a likely suspect."

Hermione felt herself blushing despite herself. She had flown off the handle and made some wild accusations. But she was under an enormous sort of pressure, and why couldn't he just overlook it? Guessing by his scowl, he had no intention of being so kind.

"Look..." She took a deep fortifying breath before going on. She never liked admitting she was wrong about anything, and apologizing to Malfoy of all people was especially daunting. "I'm sorry I went a bit off the deep end there; accusing you of being a murderer was wildly inappropriate. I apologize. Now can you please tell me what you know about this current plot from the Ministry to stop our engagement?"

She might come off a bit tart and impatient, but really it was the best he could expect from her.

"Don't apologize to that git!" Ron burst out, standing abruptly. "He's never done a damn thing to earn our trust, and you have done nothing wrong by suspecting him!"

"No, he's right, Ron. I was too quick to jump to conclusions without evidence. I am sorry." She smiled at her friend as he sputtered a bit. This kind of went outside the Gryffindor Code. It was probably written somewhere, 'thou shalt not apologize to arrogant Slytherins'.

The silence in the room following her little announcement stretched a little too long as Malfoy continued to scowl at her, his arms crossed across his broad chest, his eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. Ron sat back down, clearly disgusted, and no one appeared to know what to say next. Finally, with his usual flair for the dramatic, Malfoy swayed a bit and then flung himself back into his seat, reaching for his glass of clear liquid. Quite clearly not water, as she had assumed. He took a long sip, and she felt stupid standing there. She glanced at her friends, who all looked equally uncomfortable.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, to break the silence, and just then Malfoy spoke, "It's why I bid on you, you know. Because you testified for my family at the Wizengamot. It said something about you. You didn't have to. We didn't deserve it. We were bad and wrong to you for years, and you overlooked our sordid past to stand up and make sure that justice was served. Anyone else would have been delighted to have us paid back for our bad behavior." He paused, gulping down more of his drink. "But not you," a wagging finger in her direction, as if he'd caught her doing something naughty. "Not good, kind, gracious Hermione Granger, defender of house elves and terrible teachers and Death Eaters everywhere."

She found herself sinking down into the chair behind her, intrigued despite herself. How much had he had to drink? The glass was almost empty, but who knew how full it had been to start with. He sucked down some more liquid, and even while she watched, the glass refilled itself. "Lots of people believed we paid you a fortune to testify," he mused, holding up his glass and staring in it as if it held all his secrets before sipping some more. "Did you know that?"

He did look at her as he asked, but he apparently expected no answer, because he didn't even pause before continuing. "Or people thought we had some terrible dirt on you or something equally unsavory. But I knew the truth, you just did it because you wanted to. Like you always do. Just floating through life all lit up with Gryffindor righteousness while you do whatever you think is best. Follow the rules when they suit you, buck them when they don't. Honest to a fault except when you need to lie. The perfect student until you need to go off and defeat Dark Lords, you always did have your priorities straight. Not like the rest of us, just going along with things the way they have always been, just because they've always been that way."

Hermione was struck with the oddest impulse to comfort him. To go over there and put an arm around his slumped shoulders and pat him reassuringly and tell him that no one knew the right thing to do all the time. That they all were just doing the best they could with the limited information that they had. She almost had to sit on her hands to keep from reaching out. She shared amazed glances with her friends, but everyone kept silent, no one wanting to break this streak of insightful self reflexion by interrupting him. Some boys got boisterous when they drank, some got mean, some got amourous. Malfoy apparently got chatty. That was certainly a useful thing to know.

"So the law drops, smacks us in the face like everyone else. And in a matter of minutes, my mother has all my lawyers and advisors and choices laid out before me. Pretty maids all in a row. It was so easy to pick you." He admitted, making eye contact, his voice just slightly slurred. "I knew immediately you would be vulnerable. That the wolves would be circling, that Potter and Weasley wouldn't have the resources to protect you. It was so clear, that this was my chance to do the right thing, too." He shook his head as if to clear it, and suddenly he was giving her that glacial stare of his that was so familiar and intimidating. All trace of woeful boy were wiped from his face in an instant. "So do you want to stay here for the night, or travel elsewhere?"

"What I want is for you tell me why the Ministry is giving me such a hard time," she said gently, aware that he was likely intoxicated and this might be her one and only chance to get answers from a Malfoy who was not at the top of his mental game. He seemed to know it too and gave her a crooked smile that seemed to imply he knew all her secrets and games and tricks and was wiser than her even while drunk.

"Would you like a drink? Some lemonade maybe. Or some tea, it might be tea time...I'm not sure."

She shook her head, holding eye contact, letting her expression tell him how serious she was. "Who's been murdered, Malfoy? What's going on that I don't know?" She kept her voice low, serious, leaning forward so he could see that she wasn't going to let this go. She didn't spare a look for her friends, who were all quietly watching, not wanting to interrupt her while she tried to get him to talk.

"You don't have to be worried, Granger. I can protect you." He barked a sour laugh, back to staring at his drink as he swirled it round with a wrist motion. "One thing my family is good for, protection in dark times. No worries there. You are safe as I can make you. Be even safer come tomorrow."

And just like that all her attempts at coaxing him to talk with a soft soothing voice and firm questions went up like smoke. He just thought he could sit here and avoid all her questions and serve her some tea, and she would nod stupidly and go along with whatever plans he came up with. "Damn it, Malfoy! Quit avoiding the question and just lay out the facts for me. What is going on that I don't understand?"

"I don't have any facts for you!" He snapped back, tossing the glass aside like so much rubbish, letting it smash unaided into the floor, and throwing his hands up in irritation.

"That's enough!" Harry snarled, obviously reaching the end of his patience as well. "You tell us right sodding now what you know about this law or we are leaving and taking Hermione with us!" He stabbed his finger with each word, as if he was skewering Malfoy with a knife.

"We shouldn't even be here in the first place," Ron added viscously, giving Malfoy the foulest look he was capable of. A look he'd always reserved especially for the Malfoys. "The snake has been doing nothing but dodging questions for half an hour. Let's get out of here and figure out what we need to do to keep Hermione safe. We don't need his ruddy help."

"Hold on a minute," Ginny jumped in, twisting towards the boys. "Malfoy knows something, and we are not leaving until he spills his guts!"

Malfoy let out another bitter laugh and looked forlornly at his now empty hand. "Like it matters what I tell you. You are just going to assume I'm lying because I'm a Malfoy and we can't be trusted."

"Oh for crying out loud!," Hermione snarled, standing and marching over to his chair to scowl down at him. "I already apologized about that! What more do you want from me?"

"What I want," he shouted, surging to his feet and glaring back at her, "Is for you to mean it." This close to him the marks on his face were twice as apparent, standing out livid and raw against his angry pale skin.

Hermione balled up her fists, resisting the urge to shove him back in his seat. "I do mean it, you arrogant ass. I don't apologize unless I mean it. I am however becoming less sorry by the second."

His face softened as he stared down at her for a handful of heartbeats. "I want you to trust me," he almost whispered, tilting his head and taking a step in her direction.

Hermione crossed her arms to create a physical barrier and bit her lip. She could keep arguing, and win, but to what end she didn't know. She glanced at her friends, who were all now standing in an angry huddle and tried to think it through quickly. If Malfoy even thought about threatening her than she'd have a boy fight on her hands faster than she could say Quidditch. The situation needed to be diffused and Malfoy needed to explain this mess to her. "Trust is earned Malfoy. This whole thing makes no sense, and I need to understand. What is it that I'm missing?"

"That's really simple," he answered, that smirk of his twisting her lips. Who could keep up with his mercurial moods? One moment he was furious, the next thoughtful, sad, angry, and now somehow she'd managed to amuse him again. "You're missing the ability to be cynical."

"That's not an answer, Malfoy," Ron seethed, taking a threatening step.

Malfoy didn't bother to look away from her face to address Ron. "Weasley," he said, quite calmly. "Who is the true power behind the Ministry?"

Ron scowled and crossed his arms, his lips twisting as if this was a distasteful subject but he did answer promptly. "The Sacred Twenty-Eight."

Malfoy showed a bit of teeth as he gave her a twisted smile. "And who, Weasley, is the most influential pure blooded family in the mix?"

She looked over at Ron, more to avoid Malfoy's disturbing stare than anything else. Head down, lips pursed. She'd seen that look on Ron a dozen times. His 'I'm about to stomp you at chess' look. "Well, until very recently, the Malfoys." He looked up, wide eyed and startled. "You are suggesting that a power struggle behind the scenes is the root of this marriage law?"

Malfoy was nodding and walking away. He made his way swiftly to a beautiful wooden bar and fixed himself another glass of liquor while he spoke. "Exactly. Hermione here has gotten in the way of Kingsley's big power grab, and now he's trying to minimize the damage. At least, that's my theory."

Ron sank back down into his seat, looking absolutely thunderstruck, and Ginny, too, looked like everything had been explained quite neatly.

Hermione shared a look with Harry. As usual, the two of them were left out of the Wizarding loop.

"That doesn't make any sense," Harry admitted, his voice quiet. He, too, knew they were missing pertinent information. "How on Earth would a Wizarding marriage law make Kingsley more powerful or popular? Everyone hates this law!"

"The law was never about stopping another wizarding war. It was about establishing authority over the Malfoys," Ron said quietly. "The Ministry figured that old families like his would never in a million years agree to toss thousands of years of tradition out the window and take a muggle-born bride. Thus proving to the public that they are just as prejudiced and evil as the Voldemort supporters that got locked up. This whole law is our fault!"

"Don't be daft," Malfoy drawled, apparently in a better mood now that he had a drink in hand and they were all being civil again. "This whole thing was brewing long before you were even born."

Hermione dug her fingers into her arms in frustration, looking down at her feet. Her mind racing ahead as she tried to make sense of all of this. "Okay, even if that's true and this really is just some grand scheme to slap at the Malfoys. That sucks and all, but what does it have to do with me? Why should it matter what witch you get to wed you?" Hermione asked, looking across the room at him, trying to judge his thoughts by his expression. For once, he seemed easy to read. Open and honest.

"I can't boil down hundreds of years of wizarding history and politics into a simple explanation for you. It's complicated. Just know it's not what you think. This law doesn't have anything to do with you, or improving Wizarding Britain, or preventing another Wizarding war. The thing you have to understand about the government is, all the issues and laws and drama have nothing to do with the people. It has to do with power. Who has it, who wants it, who can get it. This law is a power grab, plain and simple, and you are causing their great stupid plan to seize control to go sideways. That's why Kingsley is so upset." Malfoy took a sip of his drink, propping one hip against the bar. "Does anyone else want a drink?"

Hermione stared at him. His sincere frown, his genuine troubled voice, his honest gaze. All so convincing. "Kingsley is already Minister of Magic...how could my getting engaged to the wrong person possibly interfere with that? Because I told him I was going to stop this law? That doesn't make any sense, Malfoy, what purpose on earth could a marriage law serve in a power struggle?" She genuinely had to know how he connected his dots, because this wild theory of his made absolutely no sense. The law was stupid and shortsighted and morally wrong, but it didn't have anything to do with who was Minister of Magic.

"See, Granger, that's why you don't understand. You lack the basic premise of understanding that the government never does anything, ever, without having an ulterior motive." Malfoy crossed one foot over the other, seemingly at his ease, but speaking low and fast. "It's like Weasley said. It's a power struggle among the Twenty-Eight. Twenty-eight families that can trace their lineage back to the beginning, of which Kingsley is a member. We compete with each other, war with each other, shifting the power balance among us. The Minister of Magic has always been little more than a figurehead. Now, for a long time, the most powerful family in the mix was us. No one questioned the Malfoy authority. But our brand was damaged by the Wizarding War. My father and several other families claimed Imperius and donated tons of money and did lots of charity work and we managed to hang onto our position by a fingernail. But the damage was done, we had less power and had to do more bargaining and make more concessions."

"The Selwyns, the Shacklebolts, hell, even the Weasleys gained more influence," he went on, finally explaining. And it was fascinating. All this history that she had no part in but yet was her world. "The last several years were a constant struggle. Along comes the second Wizarding War, and my family reputation is in ashes. The people are outraged, public opinion has drastically shifted, and Kingsley gets appointed as Minister of Magic. This was their chance see, to finally thrust the Malfoys from power and take the reins for themselves. We were all going to prison."

He smiled at her then, a bitter smile to be sure, but sincere. "Then there was you. Hermione Granger, Celebrity Sweetheart. A literal war hero, best friend to Harry Potter." He let out one of those short laughs of his, shaking his head, apparently thinking this was very funny. "Everything that the public wanted to see in their government. A Muggleborn who faced the odds and won it all. You could have slaughtered a dozen babies in the middle of Diagon Alley, and the public would have insisted that you must have a good reason and pardoned you. And what did you do with all that influence and power? You endorsed the Malfoys!"

He was downright laughing. Not one of his usual sneering laughs. Belly chuckles that seemed to be escaping, actually showing teeth.

"This isn't funny, Malfoy," she scolded.

"You are right, it's bloody hilarious," he managed to get out before he sucked down some more liquor.

Ron slapped his forehead and she glanced over at her friends to see they were all slack jawed and horrified. Malfoy gleefully went on. She didn't think she'd ever heard such utter delight in anyone's tone. "It was seriously the most delicious thing I've ever seen. There was no way out of our mess, not for at least a dozen generations, and then you pardon us. You lay all the blame at my mad, evil father, and declare mother and I allies in your fight."

"That's not what happened! I just told the truth," she argued, horrified herself. She hadn't been endorsing sodding Malfoy and saying he was innocent. She had just said he didn't belong in prison.

"Yes, I was in the courtroom, I remember. But the media, the people, the lower level government drones...they saw what they wanted to see. And just like that, we were redeemed. Cast in a hero's light. Fighting the good fight from within. Kingsley was so mad when he was forced to release me from custody that he was practically gnashing his teeth."

He pulled himself together a bit and went on in a more serious tone. "Truth is, the Malfoy position is still vulnerable. My father is in prison, and stewards are handling most of our affairs since I'm so young and not married. The smart thing to do would have been to sew up a wife right away. A Grassley perhaps, someone with strong ties who could shelter and back us as I came into my own. Much to my father's fury and my mothers horror, I decided to go back and finish my Hogwarts education instead. If anyone is responsible for this law, it's me. I'm the one who left the bastards an opening." He tilted his head in acknowledgement of Ron who closed his mouth with a snap when he noticed Malfoy was looking in his direction.

"And so they hatched a plot. A coup. A way to turn the dynamic on it's head and shift the power off of us and onto Kingsley. They've been campaigning for weeks on this: The time of the pure blooded royalty is over, we need to be taken out of power for the good of humanity, for the good of wizarding kind. We can no longer be trusted with such influence. Kingsley got everyone all stirred up about the hidden threat of the remaining pureblood families. I knew they were going to make a move, and we've been bracing for it. Never expected a law though. I underestimated just how much influence Kingsley has." Malfoy slugged back another shot, obviously disgusted with himself.

"We didn't hear anything about the law either," Ginny put in softly, her hands clasped above her knees and her face pale. Hermione was reminded that she was in a delicate condition and needed as little stress as possible if she was going to go through with her pregnancy plot. In light of this information it seemed likely that their plot would work. If Harry and Ginny were not the targets of the law, and the main concern was getting Malfoy out of the way, then condoning a Harry Potter happy ending was probably going to work in Kingsley's favor.

"No, your family wouldn't have been in support of it. Too close with the Muggleborns. It was all kept very quiet. We hear everything, and yet all my people didn't hear a whisper. Somehow, Kingsley managed to get enough influential people together to pass this law without us." Malfoy shook his head, clearly not only irritated with the subject but himself. "It was my youth you see, that gave him the opening, politically speaking. Lots of purebloods went along with it because it's a test for me, to see how I will handle the Malfoy affairs. In his arrogance, Kingsley thinks that writing this law behind my back, passing it, is proof that he has more influence than I do. That the Malfoys are out. He's just now realizing that if I manage to maneuver my way through this law without things getting ugly, this whole thing will only cement my position." He let out another bitter laugh and gave her a bit of a smile. "If I pass the test, we are back on top."

"That's why they went after marriage, to demonstrate publically that when the Ministry passes the law, no one is above it, not even the Malfoys. It was something they knew we would fight, that we would balk at. But immediately it blew up in their faces. We are not protesting the law at all, we are supporting it. Half the families are claiming they helped write the law, and that might even be true." Malfoy spread his hands, shrugging his shoulders as if all of this political maneuvering was no big deal. He indicated her with a slight head tilt. "It's the jumped up muggle-borns who are protesting the whole thing."

He was practically laughing as he continued on, words coming between gasps. "Don't you see? That's why I can't fight the law. I need to give it my whole support. Because if I don't, then I'm just like Weasley said, a prejudice pureblood who hates muggleborns. Buf if I throw the full weight of my family and my money and my influence behind you, my fiancée, then I'm an ally. When I'm on your side, I'm on the right side. Standing up against the Ministry for you, with you. A white knight charging in to defend the sweet princess against the evil Ministry that wants to enslave her. The media eats that garbage up." Hermione wanted to interrupt, remind him that was not even remotely the truth. She wasn't on his side, she wasn't on anyone's side. She hadn't even known she needed to pick sides!

"It's so perfect. It's going so much better than I could have ever even guessed. It's absolutely the worst thing that could happen to Kingsley's plot. You were supposed to pick a neutral family or an Order family. Kingsley probably planned to approach you himself and scoop you up as an ally. He figured you would be on the front lines with him, fighting against pure blooded bigots." He finally sat down his glass, apparently deciding he was sloshed enough.

"My proposal was supposed to be a joke. I was supposed to be laughed at and publicly mocked. And instead of telling my evil Death Eater family to go piss up a rope, you accepted my proposal. Once again bestowing your favor. It makes a statement. It says that Muggleborns everywhere support the Malfoys. Rumor has it you are even suing Kingsley personally. Everytime I get news, it just gets better and better."

"So that's why you bid on me? Because of my influence?" she asked, irrationally hurt. His beautiful speech about how he admired her was apparently a drunken lie.

"No," he bit out slowly as if she were stupid. "I bid on you for all the reasons I already told you. Any Muggleborn witch would work for my purposes as long as she was willing to cooperate with fighting the law. I'm not overly worried about using your political influence to retain power. It would be viewed as weak to lean on one's wife's position in society. It's the reason why I didn't go scoop up a pureblood wife the second my father was in prison. I wanted to stand on my own, not owe anyone." Well, if she did end up marrying the sod she knew just how to get him to spill. Apparently when you gave Malfoy enough liquor he spilled all his secrets. He'd spoken more, revealed more, in five minutes than all of their other encounters combined over seven years.

He crossed his arms, again on the defensive. Apparently, even questioning his murky motives was offensive. Well, tough. If he wanted someone who wouldn't question him he'd picked the wrong witch.

"Problem is not many witches are interesting in fighting a law that makes them filthy rich and influential. You're the only witch I know who doesn't care about that." He kind of squinted at her like she was a puzzle, going on in a more musing tone. "Honestly, I didn't think Kingsley would be so stupid as to go after you directly. Politically, it's suicide. I just figured you were going to need help and would be a great ally. I wonder if Kingsley had promised you to one of the families in order to gain a signature on this law?"

"Like who?" Ron asked darkly, and Hermione was surprised to see the fury on the boys' faces when she glanced over. She forgot sometimes just how protective they could be.

"I don't know, Weasley," Malfoy answered, no malice in his tone, suddenly thoughtful again. "Selwyn's lawyer got immediately nasty. He's the one who started the petition to require Granger to give each suitor due consideration. But if I had to guess, I'd go with Blaise Zabini. He's been besotted with Granger for years, and I've known him to be downright diabolical when it comes to getting his way. It wouldn't surprise me at all to hear he'd had Granger drugged and brainwashed. Memory charms are a specialty of his family. My team is working on getting me more information."

"Blaise Zabini has barely said two words to me, ever!" Hermione exclaimed, and Ginny burst out laughing.

"Hermione, you really can be quite blind sometimes. Blaise has been giving you googly eyes for at least two years!" She giggled. "He was furious when you started going round with Ron."

What? How could she not know that?

"Do you think Zabini would go after Hermione physically?" Harry broke in over the laughter.

"I don't know, but tomorrow I'll douse her in protection spells so dense she'll barely be able to walk." Malfoy replied, dead serious, making eye contact with Harry. "He so much as lays a dirty look on her and there will be magical consequences. The Malfoy engagement protection enchantments are wicked strong. As much as it sucks, we've got to go through with the ceremony; at least she'll be as protected as I can possibly make her without locking her in a box."

"She's right here!" Hermione butted in. Both boys' heads swiveled to stare at her, and she realized she didn't really have anything of value to say. She just didn't like being talked about instead of talked to. "What exactly goes on in this super secret special Malfoy binding ceremony anyway?"

Ron ignored her and spoke over her. "What I don't understand is why we are still going along with this whole stupid plot in the first place! If being engaged to Malfoy is causing all of this pissing contest blowback to come back on Hermione, why doesn't she just break her contract with Malfoy and figure out some other way to skirt the law?"

"And do what?" Ginny snapped back at him. "She'll be right back where she started. Too many suitors she doesn't want and the Ministry trying to control her. At least getting engaged to Malfoy is exactly what they don't want."

"She can't go back to school either way until we figure out what to do about the Ministry wanting to toss her in the mental ward!" Harry added.

"Breaking my contract is stupid," Malfoy argued. "As soon as it's complete, she will be under my protection, my custody. No one will be able to touch her without going through my army of lawyers!"

"What do you mean do what?" Ron barked, furious. "She can come to her senses and go with our original plan! I've still got the fert…"

Ginny slapped a hand over Ron's mouth before he could spill their secrets, and Harry grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the seating area to a corner. "Just need a moment mate," he called to Malfoy before Ginny cast a silencing spell and they began to argue. Guessing by the amount of finger pointing and hand waving, the couple was telling Ron off for being a big mouth.

Hermione took the opportunity to cross over to Malfoy and have a quick word. She still had questions. He was staring daggers over at the bubble of silence her friends had created. With his head turned like that, the gouges at his throat were emphasized and she was hit with a new wave of guilt. She should have insisted on healing him earlier.

"Just what was your original plan?" he asked, turning back to her, eyes far too sharp for someone who'd consumed so much liquor.

"What exactly is involved in this binding ceremony?" she replied, answering a question with a question. It was terribly rude, but turn about was fair play, and she had no intention of confiding in him about the pregnancy plot that was afoot. It was none of Malfoy's business.

"It's mostly just vows and protection spells. Malfoys value their brides and our binding reflects that. It's all about honoring the choice to get married," he told her, looking down, tilting his head in that way of his. He was once again using a lower tone of voice that wasn't a whisper but wasn't meant to carry. His private conversation voice that seemed to skitter down her spine and warm her toes.

"What kind of vows?" she asked, suddenly quite apprehensive. She wasn't ready to take vows with him. She barely knew him.

"Just the standard ones. Pretty much every engagement uses them. Fidelity, loyalty, fate bindings. The Ministry let us take out the bit about declaring my undying love. It was the only change they let us make." There was only a slight bitter turn to his lips, an almost resigned acceptance to his tone. While her heart was banging wildly in her chest, she really didn't see any alternative to going through with this ceremony. In light of what she now knew, literally any other course of action would be giving the Ministry exactly what they wanted.

"So the Ministry has gone over the binding ceremony? My lawyer hasn't even gotten ahold of it!" she hissed at him, getting even more upset at the thought. Damn it, she ought to know what was in a binding ceremony she was going to participate in long before a ministry paper pusher. They were probably going to publish whatever they had learned in the paper.

"We just sent over the vow portion of the event, and the rest of the affair is none of their damn business." He took a step closer to her, half glancing in the direction of her friends, and it struck her as shifty.

"What are you hiding?" She conjured up a hundred evil possibilities in a span of seconds. This was a Malfoy ceremony, it couldn't be good.

"Nothing," he bit out, still apparently all sensitive about her lack of trust. "It's a beautiful, sacred ritual. Why should I share it with the Ministry berks? It's for family and family adjacent." He scowled down at her, irritation a familiar look on his face that she found strangely endearing. "And apparently you."

"Why make things more difficult? Maybe if you hadn't dragged your feet about the binding ceremony, Kingsley wouldn't be on the hunt for me right now, trying to get me thrown into the mental ward at St. Mungo's." Even as she said it, she knew that wasn't true. Obviously, Kingsley would do anything he could to stop this ceremony. Ironically, coming after her had literally driven her towards Malfoy's shelter, made her more determined to take the Malfoys' side. How upside down was her life that she felt safer in his custody than the Ministry of Magic's? But she couldn't forget, would never allow herself to forget, the things that the Ministry had done. Was doing. The Malfoys, for all of their faults, hadn't ever lied to her about who and what they were.

"Why would I make things any easier for them? I have to comply with the law in order to keep my magical citizenship. I don't have to do one damn thing extra. I'd think you would be onboard with me irking Kingsley." His scowl faded, replaced with that half smile she was becoming familiar with. He seemed to have really gained control of his temper over time. Able to wrangle his hot feelings even after all that drinking. Proving anyone could change, even Malfoy.

"Not when he decides to take it out on me." She huffed, not really angry with Malfoy about the whole Kingsley business. The fact that Kingsley considered her vulnerable because of her Muggle background and lack of Wizarding parents was one of many mistakes. She wasn't some passive damsel to lie down and take the abuse. She would be fighting back.

"Don't worry, I won't let him anywhere near you." His voice had gone softer, lower pitched, and she believed he was sincere. She wanted to tell him not to worry himself, that she didn't need protection, but he went on before she could open her mouth, a bit of mirth in his tone, "Besides, tell the truth now, don't you find it satisfying? Kingsley sputtering and furious, while you stay one step ahead and just out of his reach."

"I was too busy being terrified," she admitted in a whisper, and he stepped even closer to her, barely leaving a space between them, flicking a glance towards her friends just out of her viewpoint.

"I am sorry about that," he murmured, one hand gently touching one of hers before pulling back. "I had no idea you were so afraid of broomstick travel. Or is it heights?"

If she had known this morning that Malfoy would apologize to her for anything, she would have checked the weather forecast for flying pigs. She swallowed her surprise and whispered back, "It doesn't matter, you couldn't have known. I'm sorry, too, about fighting you so hard. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"And now? Don't you feel vindicated? Don't you feel empowered because the whole thing is blowing up in their face? No matter how many laws they write, plots they hatch, strings they pull; they can't control you." Her mind replayed that moment in the library when he'd stood this close to her, looking down, and making her promises. It seemed like these whispered close conversations with Malfoy were becoming a pattern. She felt her pulse racing, her breath just a little shaky. Who knew being this close to Draco Malfoy would set all her nerves on high alert?

"Here we are, getting bound. There are no winners here," she told him, looking up into those beautiful eyes of his. She was aware of him in a way that she had never been aware of any boy. His height and his nearness and the weight of his stare. Was it just because she was thinking of marrying him that suddenly she found him so interesting?

He gave her that sober smirk of his, shrugging his shoulders in a careless shrug that said 'what the hell' loud and clear. "At least we are taking them down with us."

Hermione reached up and touched the mark on his throat, the impression of her teeth visible in contrast. "Please, let me heal this."

He swallowed hard, not pulling away from her touch, before nodding slightly. She pulled her wand, careful to make no sudden movement, and he visibly tensed. Just how many times had he had magic turned on him in an unfriendly way? That was a disturbing thought and yet brought understanding. She knew with perfect clarity that letting her use her magic on him was an act of trust on his part, knew instinctively that it wasn't easy for him.

She started with the bruise at his throat, remorse keeping her voice low as she cast. The blemish faded to only a slight impression of teeth, a faint mark instead of an angry swollen bite. "When did this happen? I don't remember," she confessed in a low voice.

"It was when we took off towards the woods," he informed her, no hint of his usual smugness in his tone. "I think you were trying not to scream."

She trailed her wand along his throat, healing the gouges with a flick and swish, leaving only the lightest of white lines behind. Healing could only do so much, some marks would only fade with time. She made quick work of the scratches at his collarbone, examined his hands. leaving them flawless before making her way back up to his face.

He was staring down at her, an intense look on his face, and she suddenly became aware of just how close to him she had gotten. She was right up in his space. But she steeled her spine and met his gaze as she raised her wand to heal the bruise on his jawline. The swelling receded, the color faded, leaving his perfect jawline touchable and smooth. She couldn't help but run her fingers over the skin there, noting the clean-shaven feel of it under her fingers.

She healed some scratches across the high cheekbone before scooting over to the other side to tackle the bruise on his other cheek. This one was worse, and she had to cast twice to reduce the blemish to almost unnoticeable. A sweeping cast, getting rid of a few more scratches, and he was almost looking as perfect as when he'd arrived at her window. She noticed his hair was blood free and realized at some point he must have scourgified it.

"Is that all of it?" she asked, a little breathless, staring at his mouth. He was so close she could taste his outgoing breath when she inhaled. Feel the warmth of him rolling through the space between them. She felt a tickle at her spine and wondered if her friends were looking over, watching her. But she held back her desire to turn and check, instead reaching up to touch his hair, make sure she hadn't missed a cut or contusion. But her fingers never made contact. Malfoy took a firm step back from her, widening the space enough that he was out of her reach.

"Yes, that is all…" He seemed to be breathing harder than before, his silver stare even more intense than usual, and his voice low and ragged. He cleared his throat, straightening his posture further, and continued in a much more normal voice, "Thank you."

Hermione took a deep breath of her own, recentering herself. Time with Malfoy had that rubber band effect. Every time things got a little personal, a little real, Malfoy would pull back from her, emotionally and physically. Would it be like that if she married him? Would he be whispering sweet nothings to her one moment, and the next all business? It was hard to remember that she would be getting this law repealed when she was standing in his house, talking about a ceremony that would bind her magically to him.

She was to be magically bound to Draco Malfoy. Saying it to herself did nothing to make the fact seem more real or believable. She needed to get out of here, find a little alone time and work this whole thing through her mind. Download and process all of this information. Everything from the political mess to Draco's semi-drunk confessions. It was just too much. She decided right then and there that she wasn't staying the night. She would go to her parents tonight. Decide on her own whether she would be showing up tomorrow for this binding ceremony of his. Hermione just needed a little more time.


Big Thanks go to LightofEvolution for going through this chapter with me, I own any mistakes!