A/N- Hello, readers! I am posting a day early because I get my second COVID shot tomorrow and don't know how I'll feel afterward.

Thank you to everyone who commented on last week's chapter. Your encouraging words really inspire me to keep writing.

Today I was excited to see my story featured on two of the Dramione fan pages I follow on Facebook. This morning I woke up and Love Appointed was recommended for #HOTOFFTHEPRESS Wednesday on Dramione FanFiction Forum, and when I finished work, I saw it recommended again for WIP Wednesday on Strictly Dramione.

Chapter 5: First Encounters

The Daily Prophet

October 2, 2003

HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

In an unprecedented enactment of a marriage law, the Ministry informed thousands of eligible witches and wizards of their appointed spouses yesterday afternoon. While some were thrilled with the news, others had never met their intended, and many more were nothing less than disappointed. Though our young generations of singletons were promised love, quite a few took to immediately protesting the law.

In addition to those that felt they were mismatched, a small percentage of wizards and witches received a Ministry letter confirming they were unable to be matched at all. Magda Starvelle, Head of the Department of Magical Blood and Bonds, informed us that for some, the Ministry was unable to assign them a spouse because they did not achieve the minimum 85 percent in the compatibility tests. Mrs. Starvelle was clear that the people receiving these particular letters were not incapable of finding love, but the Ministry testing was geared toward procreation. The Ministry would not force a marriage on anyone that could not fulfill the minimum birth requirement. Such wizards and witches were exempt from the law and will be free to carry on with their lives.

In related news or lack thereof, when will we hear wedding bells for our very own Harry Potter and Ginerva Weasley? Their endless engagement finally has an expiration date, however, no plans have been set with any wedding vendors in wizarding Britain, Scotland, Ireland, or France. Neither has made themselves available for comment in months. Is it possible they too have offered themselves to the Ministry program? Did some lucky witch find out she would become the future Mrs. Potter instead of the beloved Ms. Weasley?

One way or another, we'll see Auror Potter married off by the end of the year, but we'll all have to wait and see who the bride may be on the day of his nuptials. Time will tell in the next few months if the Ministry's program is a success, but in the meantime, there is quite a mess to clean up.

October 2, 2003

Granger,

Meet me at Malfoy Manor on Saturday at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. My personal House-elf, Blinky, shall grant you entrance through the front gate when you arrive.

-DM

October 4, 2003

After receiving Malfoy's summons the day after the matches were released, Hermione nearly pretended to be busy at the time he'd chosen just to spite him. The witch didn't take well to being ordered around, but she ultimately decided there was no point in starting off on the wrong foot. After all, the information the Ministry had sent her about him gave her a small sense of hope. If she hadn't known the details listed were about Draco Malfoy, she would be quite interested in the enthusiastic reader, entrepreneur, piano-playing art lover described in her packet. It would be a lie to pretend she hadn't looked at his picture more times than necessary. He was taller than she remembered and had certainly filled out his once lanky frame. The wizard even wore an actual smile in his photograph. If he'd really changed, perhaps, she'd see that smile in person.

On the other hand, her hope was dashed whenever she thought of what his reaction to being paired with her might have been. Logically speaking, he must have prepared to be matched with a half-blood or a Muggle-born witch, but she wondered how disappointed he was to see her name on his parchment. Malfoy hated her...or maybe he didn't. When he'd seen her in public lately, he had been cordial...although he could have just matured.

Before she lost her courage, Hermione Apparated to the wrought-iron gates in front of the Malfoy family home. It looked less ominous than her last visit, but the Manor was an intimidating structure to behold. Hermione felt slightly nauseous at the mere sight of it. A pop behind her startled her into action, and she was slightly embarrassed to have the business end of her wand pointed at a lovely little House-elf.

"My apologies," Hermione quickly stowed her wand. "You must be Blinky," she said kindly, squatting down so as not to frighten the elf any further.

"My mistress mustn't apologize to Blinky," the elf's purple tutu fanned out around her as she sunk into a low bow. "Mistress Hermione is a most welcome guest and future wife of Master Draco," Blinky said proudly though it made the curly-haired witch internally cringe. "My master is extremely nervous to receive my mistress today. He's been pacing about for hours…" the tiny elf trailed off, and her eyes grew wide, filling with fat tears. "Master Draco will not like that Blinky shared his personal feelings with my mistress. Blinky has failed her master and embarrassed him," she began weeping uncontrollably.

"Oh, Blinky, please don't cry," Hermione soothed her, taking the elf's hand in her own and stroking it gently. "It will be our secret, and I shall not say a word to your...Master," she choked out the word. "It even makes me feel better to know he is just as nervous as I am," she said reassuringly.

"Mistress Hermione is most gracious. A fine mistress indeed. Blinky hopes her master will make Mistress Hermione very happy," Blinky hugged Hermione before suddenly Apparating in an elegant sitting room.

Malfoy's back was to them as they arrived, but the curly-haired witch noticed the way he immediately tensed up before turning to appraise her with a blank expression on his face. The only glimpse of emotion he showed was a sharp intake of breath and a hard swallow though it was hard to tell if it was nerves, disappointment, or both.

"My mistress is here to present herself to Master Draco," Blinky announced with a small bow. Hermione wrinkled her nose at the implication that she should be presenting herself to him like some sort of a show pony.

"Mistress?" he gasped, his eyes wide. The tiny elf's eyes glossed over in response to his strange reaction.

"Blinky feels her," she whispered, holding her hands over her heart. "Here."

"That can't be! How?" he demanded as Blinky began to bawl.

"Stop yelling at her!" Hermione bent down to comfort the elf, handing her a tissue from her purse. "I'll not have you being rude to her just because she is polite!" she admonished the wizard. "May I call you to escort me out when we're finished here?" she whispered to Blinky. The elf nodded. "Thank you for your help. You may go if you wish," she patted her hand kindly as Blinky offered her a small smile and Disapparated from the room.

"You can't...you can't just dismiss her like that!" he exclaimed, his aristocratic features marred by...confusion?

"I just did," Hermione spat, angry at herself for feeling anything akin to hope before coming to this place. Of course, he hadn't changed. What was she thinking?

"Well, it didn't take too long to realize the inevitable; you still hate me," Draco said with a slight frown before his expression shifted back to blank again. "Let's get one thing straight, Granger. I won't be undermined in my own home. You may boss around those two tosser friends of yours, but I am quite finished with people deciding for me what I can and cannot do in my life," he sneered angrily.

"Wait just a-" Hermione started before he silenced her with his wand.

"If you're worried about us following all the rules, I'll be sure to perform my husbandly duties once a month during your biological time," he gestured toward her lower half, "but I refuse to be treated like some whipping boy, so you may demonstrate your grand superiority whenever you please, especially should an heir come about from these...couplings."

Practicing her wandless magic was well worth the look of shock upon Malfoy's face when his wand flew into Hermione's hand, and he found himself completely motionless under a Full Body-Bind Curse though she held him in a standing position while she spoke.

"Fortunately for me, I've never allowed other people to decide things for me," she stormed toward him. "First of all, you will not speak down to me as if I am beneath you. We will be equals in this marriage," she was inches from his face now. "I really thought you were smarter than this, Malfoy," she patted his cheek. Aside from the time she'd smacked him back in school, she'd never actually touched him and ignored the jolt she felt beneath her fingers. "Do you realize how powerful we could be if we worked together? Going against one another will only destroy us both. Did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason we were matched?" she shook her head sadly but allowed her anger to build again, pacing in front of him for a moment.

"Let me be clear," she declared with her arms folded across her chest and standing close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. "I am not some broodmare like the pureblood witches you may be used to dating. I'll require much more than a monthly breeding ritual. If I'm to be stuck with you for the rest of my life, then the very least you can do is bring more than a pretty face to this marriage and learn how to properly please a woman," she rolled her eyes in frustration. "How very sad for you that it has somehow escaped your attention that sex should be enjoyable," Hermione patted his chest with a pitying glance. Backing up a few steps, she dropped his wand to the floor and called for Blinky under her breath.

"One more thing, Malfoy," she warned when the sweet elf appeared beside her. "Don't contact me again until you can find something worthwhile to say, perhaps even a kind word or an apology. And next time, at least offer me a choice in the time and place of our meeting," Hermione insisted, raising a brow at his still form as she took Blinky's small hand. "Good day to you and your mother, who didn't even think to cast a Notice-Me-Not Charm over her Disillusionment spell," she huffed with exasperation before nodding to Blinky.

As they appeared outside the front gate to the Manor, Hermione could feel all of her adrenaline subside; the nerves began to flow through her. She was shaking slightly and became sick where they stood. Thank goodness for Blinky, who expertly vanished the mess and had a Calming Draught ready with the snap of her fingers.

"Thank you for taking care of me," Hermione said gratefully. "I hope you won't be punished for your kindness."

"My master would never punish Blinky!" the elf defended Malfoy. "Master Draco is a wonderful man and would never allow Blinky to punish herself either," the elf assured her politely. "Blinky thinks her mistress misunderstood Master Draco's confusion for anger."

"What was he confused about?" Hermione grasped to comprehend the elf's assessment of the situation.

"My master did not understand how Blinky had already become devoted and loyal to Mistress Hermione before a marital bond took place," the elf explained.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit unfamiliar with House-elf customs. How was it possible for me to gain your loyalty, Blinky?" the curly-haired witch wondered as she finished off the last of the Calming Draught.

"Once both Master Draco and Mistress Hermione accepted one another in their hearts, Blinky could feel her devotion to her new mistress bloom. Sometimes heads take time to catch up with the hearts of those meant for one another."

October 7, 2003

"Tell me how she looked," Pansy pleaded as she, Theo, and Draco waited for Blaise to arrive from his first meeting with Padma. They'd all agreed to meet at Nott's home to discuss their initial impressions of their assigned spouses after their first meetings. Apparently, Padma's job as an international liaison for the British Ministry of Magic involved a lot of travel, so the earliest she was available was today. Things must have gone well since they met for breakfast, and it was now nearly six in the evening.

"I didn't really get a good look at her since she was too busy hexing me," Draco lied, pretending to be interested in a speck of dust on his jumper. Pansy rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You're lying! I want to know what your first impression of Hermione was...before she hexed you."

"Why?" he asked, balling his hands into tight fists. "It doesn't matter because she hates me anyway," the blond wizard huffed. Pansy and Theo exchanged a knowing glance.

"Just answer the question, you git!" Nott laughed, throwing a handful of crisps at Draco's sour face as he sulked on the sofa. It frustrated him more than anything that his first impression of Granger was how she stole his breath away. Her curls still wildly fanned around her, yet it was tamer now as if each springy coil was exactly where it should be. And that dress! That bloody blue dress, tastefully covering everything yet revealing to him curves he'd never known he wanted to explore before that day. He'd briefly spotted her in public and seen pictures of her in The Prophet over the years, but they hardly did justice to seeing her in the flesh. Even in his frozen state, he felt his blood stir when she touched him. Taking a deep breath, he couldn't even think about when the words "sex should be enjoyable" came out of her mouth. Fuck! He'd really regret whatever nonsense he'd said to her if she refused to let him prove he was capable of keeping her satisfied in that department.

"You thought she was beautiful! Yay!" Pansy was clapping her hands, and Theo was grinning like an idiot.

"What? I didn't even say anything," Draco growled, wishing his friends didn't know him as well as they did at this moment.

"Your face said enough, mate," Theo laughed. "Salazar's balls, I can't remember the last time I saw you flush like that!"

"Fine! Until we started arguing, and she hexed me, I thought she looked rather...nice," he admitted though the word was hardly sufficient.

"I knew it! I knew that dress would do you in once you laid eyes on her!" Pansy squealed happily. "She didn't think you'd appreciate her dressing up for you, but I told her you'd instantly fall in love as soon as you saw her in that dress!"

"What are you on about?" Draco demanded. Why would Granger go to Pansy for advice? Had the witch actually cared what he thought about her appearance?

"Well, Draco, before you bollocksed the whole thing up, Hermione was actually prepared to become reacquainted with you. Once she read through her packet with all your details, she thought that perhaps you'd changed, and she should give you a fair chance," Pansy explained. "I cannot believe you said those things to her. Now it'll take me forever to convince her that you aren't the bratty boy you once were."

"You're not making any sense. How do you know what I said? Why would she tell you any of that?"

"I can't help it if you never listen to me. Hermione and I have been friends for a few years now, you dolt!" she reminded him. Although Draco knew Granger was one of Pansy's clients, he certainly wasn't aware that they were actual friends. "She needed my help before she went to your home on Saturday, and we discussed you. In detail," she winked at him, which made him nervous. "I didn't think I had to warn you to not be a giant areshole!" Pansy admonished him, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat.

"It wasn't all my fault. There was a misunderstanding that...escalated."

"Pray tell, how does a misunderstanding turn into you treating her like a broodmare?" Theo smirked, but just as Draco was about to respond, Blaise burst through the Floo.

"I'm in loooooooove!" the Italian wizard sang, dancing his way to the bar to pour himself a drink. "If it weren't for you tossers, I'd still be with her right now," he grinned expectantly, waiting for his friends to ask about his date with Padma.

"So, it went well?" Draco drawled, somewhat bothered that Blaise, who had no plans to marry anytime soon before this marriage law came about, seemed to have found the woman of his dreams.

"Oh, yeah. It went well," Blaise said with a dopey grin. "We met at a Muggle tea shop outside of Diagon Alley. I felt a spark as soon as I took her hand in mine to greet her, so I just kissed her right there. It was perfect."

"You kissed her before she even spoke?" Draco asked in disbelief.

"I'd say it worked out far better than your method of yelling at your House-elf and insulting your witch?" he said sarcastically. The blond wizard shot a scathing glare at Theo, who simply shrugged. At least he had the decency to look slightly abashed for spilling Draco's secrets. He hadn't planned on sharing every single detail of he and Granger's first meeting with Blaise.

"Behave, Zabini, or Draco will never tell us anything ever again!" Pansy laughed with mirth.

"Alright, I completely failed, Blaise fell in love, let's move on to someone else, shall we?" Draco huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and feeling slightly guilty that he kind of hoped he wasn't the only one who made an unsuccessful first impression. "Did you manage to put the Weaselette off of you, so you could find yourself a Muggle-born, mate?" he asked, knowing how frustrated his best friend was with being paired with another pureblood. To his surprise, Theo shrugged bashfully and offered him a remorseful half-smile.

"We, -er, actually kind of...hit it off better than I expected," Nott confessed, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact with Draco. Now it made sense why Theo hadn't immediately shared the details of his date with him. He felt guilty for enjoying himself and was sparing his best mate's feelings. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Theo. Draco wouldn't have his friend feel sorry for this.

"Do go on, Theo. We'll need more details than that," Draco encouraged him as he leaned forward and smiled, hoping to convince Nott of his interest. It worked. The dark-haired wizard's uneasiness morphed into confidence. He sat up straighter and an unexpected grin stole his features.

"Well, it's funny really. She was as put off with me as I was with her, and she showed up to the restaurant wearing her Harpies training robes," he chuckled at the memory.

"Eew!" Pansy snorted. "Merlin, I've been trying to get my hands on that witch for ages," she said, shaking her head back and forth. "You boys already fall all over yourselves when she dresses herself. Just think how beautiful she would be once I take control of her style."

"Anyhow, I'm afraid I wasn't much better because I was wearing an old robe I use for painting," Nott admitted shyly.

"Theo! I picked out a very specific outfit for you to wear!" the dark-haired witch interrupted, but Theo ignored her.

"As soon as I saw her waiting for me in that ratty Harpies robe at the private table I'd reserved, I found comfort that we at least had a similar sense of humor," he chuckled. "I sat down right beside her and said, 'Well, Miss Weasley, I can't tell if you highly underestimated how often I've wanked to pictures I've seen of you in your Quidditch robes, or if you knew exactly how to get my attention with how beautiful you look in them!' and she actually laughed. After that, she made a little comment about Death Eaters not being allowed to wank thinking of a blood-traitor like her, but I explained to her that I wasn't my father," Theo said, unconsciously rubbing his left forearm, probably grateful for the clean skin residing there. "Then she said something about wishing the picture of me in her packet was of me painting, so she'd have proper wank material for herself," he laughed at Ginny's comment as if he were reliving the moment again. At the very least, Draco was happy for his friend to find someone who understood his odd way of joking. "Overall, I think it'll be okay. I'm no longer bothered by the idea of marrying her. We'll get along just fine," Theo hummed, more to himself than the group.

"Did she happen to mention Potter?" Pansy wondered anxiously.

"You know, I didn't really think it prudent to bring up her famous ex-fiance on the first date, Pans," Theo rolled his eyes. "Why? Did you ask him about it?"

"No, of course not! Potter and I already have a bad history, but I'm dying to know what happened between them," she said thoughtfully. "What if it is weird between them, and we never see each other anymore? I can't lose, you, Theo. Their breakup hasn't even really made the papers yet," she worried, squeezing the dark-haired wizard's hand.

"I'm sure they must have it worked out by now. He's best mates with her brother for Merlin's sake," Theo assured her. "Ginny didn't come off as brokenhearted when I met her; she seemed more bothered about being paired with a Death Eater's son," he grimaced. "Now, tell us how your date with Potter went."

"It went...better than expected," Pansy answered, choosing her words carefully. Draco dropped his head in his hands. Even this witch could make it work with Potter of all people, and he was the only one to fail. "I'd expected him to hate me, but he seemed...resolved that him and I being together was the path we were meant to take. He told me that Hermione sang my praises, and made him promise to give me a chance," she explained, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. Draco's eyes shot up at the sound of Granger's name, and he idly wondered if he'd get another chance after behaving so poorly on Saturday. "We spent most of the time just talking about neutral topics such as our careers, but Potter suggested we do something fun the next time, so I look forward to finding out what that means."

The simple fact was that this marriage law was happening whether any of them wanted it to or not. Based on Blinky's ability to see Granger as her mistress, Draco realized they both must desire this somewhere deep down inside themselves. Their past was a problem, but they didn't really know each other back then or now. He'd prepared himself for rejection when he invited the Gryffindor witch over for the first time, so he built up his walls to protect himself. Could they possibly have a chance? On her end, it seemed she had at least made an attempt to try, disgusted as she may be by the thought of marrying him. It certainly sounded like Granger found him to be attractive. Albeit a bit weak, perhaps their physical attraction for one another was something to build on.

October 8, 2003

Granger,

So, you think I'm handsome?

-DM

A/N- As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments. Next week, we'll see if Draco gets another chance to redeem himself. (*Hint* He totally will! LOL!)