Previously on PS:
"Hermione?" he asked, disturbing the quiet.
"Hm?"
"We're married."
Hermione smiled, but didn't bother to respond. It was nearly five minutes later before she said anything.
"Draco?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you smell like furniture polish?"
~*~
CHAPTER NINE: Concrete Floors
After what seemed like hours of both waiting and driving, the just married limo pulled up in front of Malfoy Manor. Draco, who was staring lazily out the window, heaved a heavy sigh.
"Finally," he said, expecting Hermione to agree, but she remained silent. Lifting an eyebrow, Draco looked down. "Hermione?" he asked curiously, shaking her slightly. It was now entirely obvious that she was asleep, as the bride made no move whatsoever to acknowledge his calls. Draco sighed and opened his door, allowing her to fall lightly onto the seat, then, with a smirk, slammed the portal shut. As expected, Hermione jumped, looking around frantically. Calmly, as if no foul play had commenced, Draco walked around the back of the car to the other side and opened Hermione's door, extending his hand in a gentlemanly gesture. Hermione, looking baffled and sleepy, accepted his offer and allowed her new husband to pull her from their carriage. Draco chuckled slightly at the adorable look of confusion on her face. "Alright, love?" Assuming he hadn't noticed her slumber, Hermione made quick to smile and nodded her head softly before turning toward the vast manor. Draco, shaking his head softly, followed.
~
"Attention! Attention everybody!" called the man in charge of introductions, and a quiet swept over the ballroom, despite the number of occupants. "Introducing, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy," he finished, extending an arm toward the doorway, where Draco and Hermione were standing, looking much like cornered cats. There was nearly a pause before applause burst out, followed by a swarm of people that engulfed the bride and groom. Laughing, they were torn apart without so much as a kiss and Hermione waved as her mother dragged her away. Draco suffered a small smile as he was clapped on the back by a queue of uncles, cousins, grandfathers, and people he doubted he had relation to. In amusing truth, had some random businessman come in just for cake, Draco doubted he would have been questioned.
~
"Oh, love, you looked absolutely beautiful," Mrs. Boyce praised, squeezing Hermione's arm so tightly she was afraid it might need amputation.
"Thanks, Mum... that WAS what I was going for," she said, grinning despite the numb throb in her right elbow.
"Hermione!" called another voice and, in seconds, she was encircled with two extremely persistent arms.
"Pansy," she acknowledged, one handedly returning the hug. Evidently, Madeline meant business with her death grip. "Thank you so much for coming," Hermione said as she broke away, and Pansy shooed her question with a wave of a hand.
"Well of course I did! I've only been waiting for this since I met you two," she countered, and Hermione chuckled.
"Why? To get away from Draco for more than ten minutes a day?"
Pansy laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, I didn't mind much... I've gotten some deliciously jealous looks in my days as his barnacle. You do know how much I love jealous looks..." Again, the girls shared a laugh. "Well," Pansy continued, "I'd love to stay and chat but... being as I am officially off duty as an obsessive girlfriend who in reality has no interest whatsoever in her boyfriend... I see fresh meat and I must attain a closer look."
Hermione lifted an eyebrow, but Pansy pointed over her shoulder. Being the curious sort that she was, Hermione turned to see her cousin Jed sitting miserably in the corner next to Draco's uncle Byron, who just happened to have an extensive collection of dead insects he just loved to talk about. She laughed.
"His name is Jed, Pans... and you couldn't find a fresher cut," she informed, and Pansy nodded her thanks before making her way through the crowd of dancers to her target, then extending a hand. Hermione giggled as she watched Jed's jaw practically fall to the floor. In all honesty, he was not the prime of desirable men... but Hermione knew that wasn't what Pansy was looking for. True, Jed had a fairly good body... not much muscle, but enough to save any damsel in distress. He was thin, but had hands fit for someone three times his size and ears to match. Jed did have his good qualities, however; he owned the most dazzling blue eyes Hermione had ever seen. In all honesty, they were perfect for each other.
Pansy and Hermione had spent a good part of their summers together during Hogwarts, and one of the Slytherin's favorite games had been to flip through the yearbook and pick out the most desirable men. Hermione had participated on the grounds that looking couldn't hurt as long as she didn't touch. It had become quite apparent as the years progressed that Pansy continuously lowered the bar on the appearance meter. It had been Hermione's theory that trailing someone as egotistical and haughty as Draco all the time had scared her away from good-looking men. Jed fell perfectly into her range.
"Hermione, love, are you paying attention?" Madeline asked, shaking her daughter. Hermione turned away from Pansy and Jed, who were now dancing slowly to the fairytale worthy music emitting from the walls.
"Of course, Mum," she answered, smiling in turn to each of the parade women she was being introduced to.
It wasn't until dinner was served that Hermione saw Draco again. They were, of course, seated beside each other at the banquet table, the bride's court to Hermione's left, and the groomsmen to Draco's right. Dinner was served at four thirty, much to the delight of the hungry guests, who had survived on punch and appetizers. Hermione, who hadn't the pleasure of a large breakfast, had eaten half a dozen crackers with a paste on them she couldn't have named were it her own discovery. As quarter after rolled around, she quite promptly pulled away from her mother and seated herself at the party table, rubbing gingerly at her abused arm. Draco, however, arrived about ten minutes after the food began to arrive. To be hospitable, the guests were served first... a decision Hermione was now regretting. She was exhausted, hungry, and, so far, bored out of her mind. She'd been introduced and hugged by so many people she couldn't remember anyone's name. Truthfully, she felt relieved she still remembered which of those present she had married.
"Hey," Draco whispered as he took his seat, and Hermione suffered him a small smile. "Having fun?" She laughed.
"No... no, not really," she admitted, smiling. "Remind me again why we didn't elope?"
"Aw, it can't be that bad..." Draco countered, shaking his head, but Hermione didn't seem to agree.
"Please don't leave me alone with my mother again... I don't want to be an amputee."
"A what?"
"She honestly refused to let go of me... I may just have bruises on my arm tomorrow," she explained, and Draco laughed, then gave a playful pout.
"Oh, Mina... she just doesn't want her little baby bird to fly the coup," he said and Hermione couldn't help but smile... he was impersonating her father, and doing a good job of it as well.
"Well, she asked for it. If you think about it, it's more like she pushed me out of the nest and changed her mind at the last second, settling for dangling me by one leg," Hermione theorized, making her groom chuckle.
"Or arm as it may be," he agreed in whisper, moving closer so she could hear him. Now just inches apart, they both smiled.
Then, a high pitched dinging rang through the hall and Hermione looked up, half expecting to see McGonagall at the head table of the Great Hall, clinking her goblet for silence. In truth, it was Pansy, sitting next to Jed at a table not far from that of the court, tapping a knife lightly to her wine glass. Perfectly aware of the meaning behind this gesture, Hermione sent her friend a playful glare before turning back to Draco, who was smirking. As if in retaliation, she merely pecked his lips. Draco frowned and the guests booed. At the prospect of a kiss, they'd all given their attention to their host and hostess and were now quite disappointed. A chorus of clinks from nearly every table in the room burst out and Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco smirked.
"Go on, love... give the people what they want."
With a smirk of her own, Hermione touched his lips once more, in a kiss worthy of cheers from their audience. Now that their critics were satisfied, Hermione leaned back into her chair. She pointed toward Pansy, then dragged a finger across her neck in a petty threat of death. The blonde woman stuck out her tongue before turning to say something to Jed. Shaking her head, Hermione turned to Draco, who wore a very smug smirk as he watched her.
"What?" she asked, but he merely stuck out his tongue.
~
After the guests had been served, which took a good quarter hour, dishes were given to those at the head table. As her meal was set out, Hermione was surprised to see that plates of crackers and the mystery paste she had so enjoyed were laid out like bread baskets. Restraining herself from throwing her face right into the food, she turned to her husband.
"Draco?" she said, and he turned to her, lifting an eyebrow. "What is that?" Hermione pointed to the bowl of paste, and Draco smirked.
"It's called Giolay," he informed, "It's a Malfoy thing... recipe passed down and whatnot. Did you have some?" Hermione gave a soft nod, then turned her eyes from the bowl to his face.
"What's in it?" she asked, and his smirk widened.
"Well... Like I said, it IS a secret family recipe..."
Hermione pretended to look offended.
"Have you forgotten already?" she teased, "I AM family... am I not?" Draco chuckled.
"That you are... I apologize," he said, giving her a tiny peck in apology. "As I am not an avid chef, I do not know the exact composition...but, it's basically just caviar in a sauce that resembles mayonnaise." Hermione's playful smile dropped and she brought her hand to her mouth.
"Ca...caviar? As in fish, caviar?" she asked in a slight panic and Draco laughed.
"The one and only."
"...I just ate 10,000 unborn tadpoles," Hermione said softly, looking down at her chicken with much less desire to eat it. Draco laughed.
"Actually, tadpoles are frogs..." he corrected, but it didn't seem to ease his wife in the slightest. Again, he found amusement in her suffering. "Just think of it as tuna fish, love." Hermione turned to glare at him slightly.
"Tuna fish isn't normally in utero, Draco..."
~*~
After dinner, many more clinking glasses, and a face full of cake each, Draco and Hermione stood entwined on the dance floor, moving slowly and savoring the time away from cheek-pinching, arse-popping relatives. The sun had set just minutes ago, and it was nearing on seven o'clock. Originally, Hermione had planned to stay until the last guest had gone home... but the way she was feeling this early in the evening suggested this wouldn't carry out. After getting up so early to complete so much work, then eating a meal big enough to change her dress size, she was completely exhausted. Hermione had already told Draco that she might not make it through the evening, and he had agreed that they'd had a big day. Mutually, nine o'clock was decided as their absolute latest departure point. Narcissa had been informed of this and had already instructed the chauffer.
As per tradition, Draco and Hermione would leave together, climb back into their limo, and ride to their new home. After that, there would be no necessary agenda. It was assumed they'd want to explore for a while (both the house and... other things), but there would be no unpacking. Their possessions had yet to be moved, but would be during their honeymoon... which Hermione thought completely unnecessary, but agreed to for the love of Narcissa, who couldn't have been more excited were it her own.
As they danced, Hermione held eyes closed and kept her face buried in Draco's chest. He, on the other hand, was watching the crowds. Pansy was practically sucking Jed's acne out through his mouth, Ginny was amusing herself with Hazel, Lucifer was getting punch (most likely for Narcissa) and both the Boyces and the Malfoys were dancing slowly around the room, chattering with other couples they passed, including each other. Of the rest of the guests, Draco found very few people he really knew. There was an aunt here, an uncle there... but, in all honesty, he doubted many of them had ever seen him before, much less met him.
As the music slowly died and another tune started, Hermione smiled, squeezing her dance partner a bit closer.
"I love this song," she whispered, more to herself than Draco, but he heard her and took more effort in dancing. Before, they'd stayed almost in one spot, swaying so slowly they hardly moved... it was partially to have time in each other's arms... but mostly to get away from everyone else. Hermione's confession of favor to the current musical selection had given Draco more reason to pay attention to the task at hand. He kept his movements slow and flowing, paying close attention to the placement of his feet, but, unlike previously, they wound through the other couples on the dance floor, covering ground much more quickly. At one point, she even gave a slight giggle at the sensation his lead was giving her. Draco smirked.
They danced for a good five minutes this way, and Hermione's song ended, dying in a trickle of high-pitched bells. She laughed as they slowed again, face still pressed against his prim white shirt, and Draco rested his chin atop her head, grinning. At the very least, he could rest with the assurance that he'd given her a little fun that night. She seemed so sad and tired... as if the entire party was just a chore.
As they fell back into their immensely slow swaying, Hermione sighed. Although she was simply dancing with her best friend, nothing could have felt more like paradise. True, there was that horde of Aunts waiting for her to break away...
With the soft music and tiny steps to lull her into a stupor, Hermione found herself looking back on the more memorable moments of the past evening. There was, of course, her dances with Hunter, Lucifer, and Lucius, which she had quite frankly enjoyed. It was always humorous to see her father so worked up. Draco, too, had had his dances... even one with Ginny. In truth, Hermione was amazed at the way Ginny had accepted all the lies. It might have been the small fact that she'd known about the Boyces her entire life, and simply hadn't known Hermione was of them. Draco's behavior the last few days was enough to get even his greatest enemy to hug him, so it was no surprise that Ginny hadn't been angry with Draco... it was simply her lighthearted opinion of everything that made Hermione wonder.
As she was away in a world of fantasy, Draco stopped with a jolt. Confused and broken from her memoir, Hermione looked up with a frown. Draco took a moment to recover from his slight bout of shock before he sighed and narrowed his eyes slightly, looking across the room.
"Look who finally decided to show up," he said, voice betraying his inner displeasure. Hermione turned slightly and, upon seeing what Draco had seen, felt a wave of happiness crash into a wave of disappointment. She turned back to her husband and frowned, then pulled away, leaving him alone on the tiled floor. Without a glance back, she made her way toward the doors of the ballroom where, looking confused and worried, the new arrivals stood.
"Harry, Ron," she said softly, stepping up to them. Simultaneously, her two friends turned toward her and their eyes widened.
"Hermione..." Harry started, always the sensible one, and Hermione gave him a small smile.
"You look... wow..." Ron added, most intelligently, to the conversation. At this, the bride couldn't help but grin.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her frown returning. "Please tell me it's because you wanted to come, and not to drag Ginny away." At this accusation, the two men shared a look.
"No, Hermione..." Harry began, but, again, Ron interrupted.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... it's my fault we haven't talked in half a year... it's my fault we threw away the invitation and it's my fault we missed your entire wedding. And I'm sorry," he babbled, staring down at her with pleading blue eyes. Hermione felt her nose prickle and her face turn red as the tears grew closer and, all at once, she threw herself at her friends, hugging them as if they'd been lost for years as apposed to months.
"I missed you both so much," Hermione confessed, pulling back to look up at them. "I was sure you hated me." At this, Harry chuckled.
"Yes, Mione, we absolutely despise you. Always have," he assured sarcastically, and a watery grin spread to Hermione's face.
"Come on, let's go sit down," she suggested, pulling them both toward an empty table. "I want to catch up." Once they were all seated, Hermione between the boys, she lent herself to initiate conversation. "What changed your mind?" she asked, "Why did you come?"
"I've been all for it for months, it was Ron who had issues to overcome," Harry said, almost in a whisper, as if embarrassed to be ratting out his friend. Smiling, Hermione turned to Ron, who was now staring at the lacy tablecloth.
"Well," Ron started hoarsely, then cleared his throat. "Harry made the brilliant prediction that you would hate us forever if we didn't come... and, I just..." he said, turning his eyes up to hers. "I don't want to loose you for that long." Where most would have smiled and assured Ron that they bared him no ill will, Hermione frowned.
"So..." she started, "You didn't come because you accept this... you've come because you don't want me to be mad at you?" she insinuated, and Ron hesitated before nodding his head.
"Actually," Harry butted in, causing Hermione to spin toward him. "There's more to it than that. We came because... well, we don't want you to marry Malfoy." Hermione's jaw fell open.
"Well, it's a bit late for that now, isn't it?" she nearly yelled, glaring at Harry. He nodded.
"Yeah... it would have been better if we came before, but listen... we've got a plan. It'll still work... all we have to do is skip the country... move to France or Italy... you can change your name back to Granger and marry Ron or something..."
"Yeah," Ron agreed happily, enjoying the prospect of becoming Hermione's second husband. "That way, even if Malfoy found you, you'd already be married... so he couldn't do anything about it." Hermione was silent for a moment, eyes searching Ron's for some sign that he was either jesting, or had completely lost his mind.
"What do you think YOU'RE doing NOW?" she pointed out, and Ron gave a slight nod.
"But, you'll come with us. Malfoy couldn't make you come with him."
"I can't believe you!" Hermione yelled, standing up so quickly the candle on the table toppled over. Luckily, the pool of wax extinguished it before it could cause any real damage. "Have you both gone mad?"
"Hermione," Harry said, trying to sound sensible. "Why are you getting mad? It's not like you love him..."
"How do you know that?" she screeched, ignoring the burn in her eyes as the tears mixed with eyeliner. Ron, however, went pale.
"No... no, Harry, you promised... you said she didn't love him... you said she wouldn't sink that low..." he ranted, shaking his head. Harry grew fidgety.
"I know, she doesn't... she wouldn't... right, Hermione? Tell Ron you don't love Malfoy," Harry said in such a way it sounded like a warning. Hermione took a good moment to stare at each of them, frowning and allowing black tears to roll down her cheeks.
"I hope you're both proud of yourselves," she said, slightly choked up. "You've made this the absolute worst day of my life."
Before either of her so-called friends could try to defend themselves, Hermione spun and went in search of her husband. She found him dancing with his cousin Montanya, but not a slow dance. Although the song was slow, they seemed just to be talking and swaying separately, nearly a foot of space between them. Hermione pushed her way through the crowds, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his back.
"Draco," she said, getting his attention, and the blonde turned around, looking immediately alarmed at the distressed look about his wife.
"Hermione... what happened, are you..." he began, ignoring Montanya completely and fussing over Hermione. She shook her head and cut him off.
"I want to go home," she admitted, eyes trained on his shiny black shoes, and Draco nodded, frowning.
"Alright... okay, whatever you want..." he said softly, as if speaking to a child. Normally, Hermione would have scolded him, but any sympathy she could get right now was good sympathy. "Let's just have Mum call the chauffeur, hm?" With no other apparent choice, Hermione nodded and allowed Draco to put an arm around her and lead her to wherever Narcissa was standing. As they started away, Hermione turned to view the table she had moments ago been seated at. Harry and Ron were gone, but the candle stood lit and upright.
A/N: Dude, you guys... I'm not even joking... I got 100 reviews for chapter eight. No kidding. Probably more... and you know what they all said? "It's not boring, Melodramatic, or overdone. It's awesome!" Lol. I appreciated that guys, but it just got so repetitive... ;o) And, I think I offended someone with my comment about reviews I don't think are genuine... you know the "I love it! Update!" ones. I didn't mean that in a mean way... just that they don't help me at all. It's nice to hear such things, but I'd prefer reviews with suggestions for improvement. That is my sole purpose for doing fan fiction, anyway... not the fans, but the help. To improve.
Someone (can't remember who at the moment) suggested that I not put a character's reaction to another character's speech in the same sentence, such as:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome." Jenna smiled.
"Oh, me too," she said. "Have you seen just married?" Allen frowned and shook his head.
"No, but I hear it's really good."
I appreciate this critique, and have taken it into consideration. One thing I wanted to point out, however, is that your method for correcting the problem is grammatically incorrect. You said to make it:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome."
Jenna smiled. "Oh, me too," she said. "Have you seen just married?"
Allen frowned and shook his head. "No, but I hear it's really good."
You should never... never never never never put unquoted words at the beginning of a paragraph which contains quotation, unless it's part of the sentence.
Harry said, "I love Michael Jackson." Is fine, but this excerpt should be corrected as so:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome."
Jenna smiled.
"Oh, me too," she said. "have you seen just married?"
Allen frowned and shook his head.
"No, but I hear it's really good."
Or you could change the wording, like:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome," Allen said and Jenna smiled.
"Hermione?" he asked, disturbing the quiet.
"Hm?"
"We're married."
Hermione smiled, but didn't bother to respond. It was nearly five minutes later before she said anything.
"Draco?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you smell like furniture polish?"
~*~
CHAPTER NINE: Concrete Floors
After what seemed like hours of both waiting and driving, the just married limo pulled up in front of Malfoy Manor. Draco, who was staring lazily out the window, heaved a heavy sigh.
"Finally," he said, expecting Hermione to agree, but she remained silent. Lifting an eyebrow, Draco looked down. "Hermione?" he asked curiously, shaking her slightly. It was now entirely obvious that she was asleep, as the bride made no move whatsoever to acknowledge his calls. Draco sighed and opened his door, allowing her to fall lightly onto the seat, then, with a smirk, slammed the portal shut. As expected, Hermione jumped, looking around frantically. Calmly, as if no foul play had commenced, Draco walked around the back of the car to the other side and opened Hermione's door, extending his hand in a gentlemanly gesture. Hermione, looking baffled and sleepy, accepted his offer and allowed her new husband to pull her from their carriage. Draco chuckled slightly at the adorable look of confusion on her face. "Alright, love?" Assuming he hadn't noticed her slumber, Hermione made quick to smile and nodded her head softly before turning toward the vast manor. Draco, shaking his head softly, followed.
~
"Attention! Attention everybody!" called the man in charge of introductions, and a quiet swept over the ballroom, despite the number of occupants. "Introducing, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy," he finished, extending an arm toward the doorway, where Draco and Hermione were standing, looking much like cornered cats. There was nearly a pause before applause burst out, followed by a swarm of people that engulfed the bride and groom. Laughing, they were torn apart without so much as a kiss and Hermione waved as her mother dragged her away. Draco suffered a small smile as he was clapped on the back by a queue of uncles, cousins, grandfathers, and people he doubted he had relation to. In amusing truth, had some random businessman come in just for cake, Draco doubted he would have been questioned.
~
"Oh, love, you looked absolutely beautiful," Mrs. Boyce praised, squeezing Hermione's arm so tightly she was afraid it might need amputation.
"Thanks, Mum... that WAS what I was going for," she said, grinning despite the numb throb in her right elbow.
"Hermione!" called another voice and, in seconds, she was encircled with two extremely persistent arms.
"Pansy," she acknowledged, one handedly returning the hug. Evidently, Madeline meant business with her death grip. "Thank you so much for coming," Hermione said as she broke away, and Pansy shooed her question with a wave of a hand.
"Well of course I did! I've only been waiting for this since I met you two," she countered, and Hermione chuckled.
"Why? To get away from Draco for more than ten minutes a day?"
Pansy laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, I didn't mind much... I've gotten some deliciously jealous looks in my days as his barnacle. You do know how much I love jealous looks..." Again, the girls shared a laugh. "Well," Pansy continued, "I'd love to stay and chat but... being as I am officially off duty as an obsessive girlfriend who in reality has no interest whatsoever in her boyfriend... I see fresh meat and I must attain a closer look."
Hermione lifted an eyebrow, but Pansy pointed over her shoulder. Being the curious sort that she was, Hermione turned to see her cousin Jed sitting miserably in the corner next to Draco's uncle Byron, who just happened to have an extensive collection of dead insects he just loved to talk about. She laughed.
"His name is Jed, Pans... and you couldn't find a fresher cut," she informed, and Pansy nodded her thanks before making her way through the crowd of dancers to her target, then extending a hand. Hermione giggled as she watched Jed's jaw practically fall to the floor. In all honesty, he was not the prime of desirable men... but Hermione knew that wasn't what Pansy was looking for. True, Jed had a fairly good body... not much muscle, but enough to save any damsel in distress. He was thin, but had hands fit for someone three times his size and ears to match. Jed did have his good qualities, however; he owned the most dazzling blue eyes Hermione had ever seen. In all honesty, they were perfect for each other.
Pansy and Hermione had spent a good part of their summers together during Hogwarts, and one of the Slytherin's favorite games had been to flip through the yearbook and pick out the most desirable men. Hermione had participated on the grounds that looking couldn't hurt as long as she didn't touch. It had become quite apparent as the years progressed that Pansy continuously lowered the bar on the appearance meter. It had been Hermione's theory that trailing someone as egotistical and haughty as Draco all the time had scared her away from good-looking men. Jed fell perfectly into her range.
"Hermione, love, are you paying attention?" Madeline asked, shaking her daughter. Hermione turned away from Pansy and Jed, who were now dancing slowly to the fairytale worthy music emitting from the walls.
"Of course, Mum," she answered, smiling in turn to each of the parade women she was being introduced to.
It wasn't until dinner was served that Hermione saw Draco again. They were, of course, seated beside each other at the banquet table, the bride's court to Hermione's left, and the groomsmen to Draco's right. Dinner was served at four thirty, much to the delight of the hungry guests, who had survived on punch and appetizers. Hermione, who hadn't the pleasure of a large breakfast, had eaten half a dozen crackers with a paste on them she couldn't have named were it her own discovery. As quarter after rolled around, she quite promptly pulled away from her mother and seated herself at the party table, rubbing gingerly at her abused arm. Draco, however, arrived about ten minutes after the food began to arrive. To be hospitable, the guests were served first... a decision Hermione was now regretting. She was exhausted, hungry, and, so far, bored out of her mind. She'd been introduced and hugged by so many people she couldn't remember anyone's name. Truthfully, she felt relieved she still remembered which of those present she had married.
"Hey," Draco whispered as he took his seat, and Hermione suffered him a small smile. "Having fun?" She laughed.
"No... no, not really," she admitted, smiling. "Remind me again why we didn't elope?"
"Aw, it can't be that bad..." Draco countered, shaking his head, but Hermione didn't seem to agree.
"Please don't leave me alone with my mother again... I don't want to be an amputee."
"A what?"
"She honestly refused to let go of me... I may just have bruises on my arm tomorrow," she explained, and Draco laughed, then gave a playful pout.
"Oh, Mina... she just doesn't want her little baby bird to fly the coup," he said and Hermione couldn't help but smile... he was impersonating her father, and doing a good job of it as well.
"Well, she asked for it. If you think about it, it's more like she pushed me out of the nest and changed her mind at the last second, settling for dangling me by one leg," Hermione theorized, making her groom chuckle.
"Or arm as it may be," he agreed in whisper, moving closer so she could hear him. Now just inches apart, they both smiled.
Then, a high pitched dinging rang through the hall and Hermione looked up, half expecting to see McGonagall at the head table of the Great Hall, clinking her goblet for silence. In truth, it was Pansy, sitting next to Jed at a table not far from that of the court, tapping a knife lightly to her wine glass. Perfectly aware of the meaning behind this gesture, Hermione sent her friend a playful glare before turning back to Draco, who was smirking. As if in retaliation, she merely pecked his lips. Draco frowned and the guests booed. At the prospect of a kiss, they'd all given their attention to their host and hostess and were now quite disappointed. A chorus of clinks from nearly every table in the room burst out and Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco smirked.
"Go on, love... give the people what they want."
With a smirk of her own, Hermione touched his lips once more, in a kiss worthy of cheers from their audience. Now that their critics were satisfied, Hermione leaned back into her chair. She pointed toward Pansy, then dragged a finger across her neck in a petty threat of death. The blonde woman stuck out her tongue before turning to say something to Jed. Shaking her head, Hermione turned to Draco, who wore a very smug smirk as he watched her.
"What?" she asked, but he merely stuck out his tongue.
~
After the guests had been served, which took a good quarter hour, dishes were given to those at the head table. As her meal was set out, Hermione was surprised to see that plates of crackers and the mystery paste she had so enjoyed were laid out like bread baskets. Restraining herself from throwing her face right into the food, she turned to her husband.
"Draco?" she said, and he turned to her, lifting an eyebrow. "What is that?" Hermione pointed to the bowl of paste, and Draco smirked.
"It's called Giolay," he informed, "It's a Malfoy thing... recipe passed down and whatnot. Did you have some?" Hermione gave a soft nod, then turned her eyes from the bowl to his face.
"What's in it?" she asked, and his smirk widened.
"Well... Like I said, it IS a secret family recipe..."
Hermione pretended to look offended.
"Have you forgotten already?" she teased, "I AM family... am I not?" Draco chuckled.
"That you are... I apologize," he said, giving her a tiny peck in apology. "As I am not an avid chef, I do not know the exact composition...but, it's basically just caviar in a sauce that resembles mayonnaise." Hermione's playful smile dropped and she brought her hand to her mouth.
"Ca...caviar? As in fish, caviar?" she asked in a slight panic and Draco laughed.
"The one and only."
"...I just ate 10,000 unborn tadpoles," Hermione said softly, looking down at her chicken with much less desire to eat it. Draco laughed.
"Actually, tadpoles are frogs..." he corrected, but it didn't seem to ease his wife in the slightest. Again, he found amusement in her suffering. "Just think of it as tuna fish, love." Hermione turned to glare at him slightly.
"Tuna fish isn't normally in utero, Draco..."
~*~
After dinner, many more clinking glasses, and a face full of cake each, Draco and Hermione stood entwined on the dance floor, moving slowly and savoring the time away from cheek-pinching, arse-popping relatives. The sun had set just minutes ago, and it was nearing on seven o'clock. Originally, Hermione had planned to stay until the last guest had gone home... but the way she was feeling this early in the evening suggested this wouldn't carry out. After getting up so early to complete so much work, then eating a meal big enough to change her dress size, she was completely exhausted. Hermione had already told Draco that she might not make it through the evening, and he had agreed that they'd had a big day. Mutually, nine o'clock was decided as their absolute latest departure point. Narcissa had been informed of this and had already instructed the chauffer.
As per tradition, Draco and Hermione would leave together, climb back into their limo, and ride to their new home. After that, there would be no necessary agenda. It was assumed they'd want to explore for a while (both the house and... other things), but there would be no unpacking. Their possessions had yet to be moved, but would be during their honeymoon... which Hermione thought completely unnecessary, but agreed to for the love of Narcissa, who couldn't have been more excited were it her own.
As they danced, Hermione held eyes closed and kept her face buried in Draco's chest. He, on the other hand, was watching the crowds. Pansy was practically sucking Jed's acne out through his mouth, Ginny was amusing herself with Hazel, Lucifer was getting punch (most likely for Narcissa) and both the Boyces and the Malfoys were dancing slowly around the room, chattering with other couples they passed, including each other. Of the rest of the guests, Draco found very few people he really knew. There was an aunt here, an uncle there... but, in all honesty, he doubted many of them had ever seen him before, much less met him.
As the music slowly died and another tune started, Hermione smiled, squeezing her dance partner a bit closer.
"I love this song," she whispered, more to herself than Draco, but he heard her and took more effort in dancing. Before, they'd stayed almost in one spot, swaying so slowly they hardly moved... it was partially to have time in each other's arms... but mostly to get away from everyone else. Hermione's confession of favor to the current musical selection had given Draco more reason to pay attention to the task at hand. He kept his movements slow and flowing, paying close attention to the placement of his feet, but, unlike previously, they wound through the other couples on the dance floor, covering ground much more quickly. At one point, she even gave a slight giggle at the sensation his lead was giving her. Draco smirked.
They danced for a good five minutes this way, and Hermione's song ended, dying in a trickle of high-pitched bells. She laughed as they slowed again, face still pressed against his prim white shirt, and Draco rested his chin atop her head, grinning. At the very least, he could rest with the assurance that he'd given her a little fun that night. She seemed so sad and tired... as if the entire party was just a chore.
As they fell back into their immensely slow swaying, Hermione sighed. Although she was simply dancing with her best friend, nothing could have felt more like paradise. True, there was that horde of Aunts waiting for her to break away...
With the soft music and tiny steps to lull her into a stupor, Hermione found herself looking back on the more memorable moments of the past evening. There was, of course, her dances with Hunter, Lucifer, and Lucius, which she had quite frankly enjoyed. It was always humorous to see her father so worked up. Draco, too, had had his dances... even one with Ginny. In truth, Hermione was amazed at the way Ginny had accepted all the lies. It might have been the small fact that she'd known about the Boyces her entire life, and simply hadn't known Hermione was of them. Draco's behavior the last few days was enough to get even his greatest enemy to hug him, so it was no surprise that Ginny hadn't been angry with Draco... it was simply her lighthearted opinion of everything that made Hermione wonder.
As she was away in a world of fantasy, Draco stopped with a jolt. Confused and broken from her memoir, Hermione looked up with a frown. Draco took a moment to recover from his slight bout of shock before he sighed and narrowed his eyes slightly, looking across the room.
"Look who finally decided to show up," he said, voice betraying his inner displeasure. Hermione turned slightly and, upon seeing what Draco had seen, felt a wave of happiness crash into a wave of disappointment. She turned back to her husband and frowned, then pulled away, leaving him alone on the tiled floor. Without a glance back, she made her way toward the doors of the ballroom where, looking confused and worried, the new arrivals stood.
"Harry, Ron," she said softly, stepping up to them. Simultaneously, her two friends turned toward her and their eyes widened.
"Hermione..." Harry started, always the sensible one, and Hermione gave him a small smile.
"You look... wow..." Ron added, most intelligently, to the conversation. At this, the bride couldn't help but grin.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her frown returning. "Please tell me it's because you wanted to come, and not to drag Ginny away." At this accusation, the two men shared a look.
"No, Hermione..." Harry began, but, again, Ron interrupted.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... it's my fault we haven't talked in half a year... it's my fault we threw away the invitation and it's my fault we missed your entire wedding. And I'm sorry," he babbled, staring down at her with pleading blue eyes. Hermione felt her nose prickle and her face turn red as the tears grew closer and, all at once, she threw herself at her friends, hugging them as if they'd been lost for years as apposed to months.
"I missed you both so much," Hermione confessed, pulling back to look up at them. "I was sure you hated me." At this, Harry chuckled.
"Yes, Mione, we absolutely despise you. Always have," he assured sarcastically, and a watery grin spread to Hermione's face.
"Come on, let's go sit down," she suggested, pulling them both toward an empty table. "I want to catch up." Once they were all seated, Hermione between the boys, she lent herself to initiate conversation. "What changed your mind?" she asked, "Why did you come?"
"I've been all for it for months, it was Ron who had issues to overcome," Harry said, almost in a whisper, as if embarrassed to be ratting out his friend. Smiling, Hermione turned to Ron, who was now staring at the lacy tablecloth.
"Well," Ron started hoarsely, then cleared his throat. "Harry made the brilliant prediction that you would hate us forever if we didn't come... and, I just..." he said, turning his eyes up to hers. "I don't want to loose you for that long." Where most would have smiled and assured Ron that they bared him no ill will, Hermione frowned.
"So..." she started, "You didn't come because you accept this... you've come because you don't want me to be mad at you?" she insinuated, and Ron hesitated before nodding his head.
"Actually," Harry butted in, causing Hermione to spin toward him. "There's more to it than that. We came because... well, we don't want you to marry Malfoy." Hermione's jaw fell open.
"Well, it's a bit late for that now, isn't it?" she nearly yelled, glaring at Harry. He nodded.
"Yeah... it would have been better if we came before, but listen... we've got a plan. It'll still work... all we have to do is skip the country... move to France or Italy... you can change your name back to Granger and marry Ron or something..."
"Yeah," Ron agreed happily, enjoying the prospect of becoming Hermione's second husband. "That way, even if Malfoy found you, you'd already be married... so he couldn't do anything about it." Hermione was silent for a moment, eyes searching Ron's for some sign that he was either jesting, or had completely lost his mind.
"What do you think YOU'RE doing NOW?" she pointed out, and Ron gave a slight nod.
"But, you'll come with us. Malfoy couldn't make you come with him."
"I can't believe you!" Hermione yelled, standing up so quickly the candle on the table toppled over. Luckily, the pool of wax extinguished it before it could cause any real damage. "Have you both gone mad?"
"Hermione," Harry said, trying to sound sensible. "Why are you getting mad? It's not like you love him..."
"How do you know that?" she screeched, ignoring the burn in her eyes as the tears mixed with eyeliner. Ron, however, went pale.
"No... no, Harry, you promised... you said she didn't love him... you said she wouldn't sink that low..." he ranted, shaking his head. Harry grew fidgety.
"I know, she doesn't... she wouldn't... right, Hermione? Tell Ron you don't love Malfoy," Harry said in such a way it sounded like a warning. Hermione took a good moment to stare at each of them, frowning and allowing black tears to roll down her cheeks.
"I hope you're both proud of yourselves," she said, slightly choked up. "You've made this the absolute worst day of my life."
Before either of her so-called friends could try to defend themselves, Hermione spun and went in search of her husband. She found him dancing with his cousin Montanya, but not a slow dance. Although the song was slow, they seemed just to be talking and swaying separately, nearly a foot of space between them. Hermione pushed her way through the crowds, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his back.
"Draco," she said, getting his attention, and the blonde turned around, looking immediately alarmed at the distressed look about his wife.
"Hermione... what happened, are you..." he began, ignoring Montanya completely and fussing over Hermione. She shook her head and cut him off.
"I want to go home," she admitted, eyes trained on his shiny black shoes, and Draco nodded, frowning.
"Alright... okay, whatever you want..." he said softly, as if speaking to a child. Normally, Hermione would have scolded him, but any sympathy she could get right now was good sympathy. "Let's just have Mum call the chauffeur, hm?" With no other apparent choice, Hermione nodded and allowed Draco to put an arm around her and lead her to wherever Narcissa was standing. As they started away, Hermione turned to view the table she had moments ago been seated at. Harry and Ron were gone, but the candle stood lit and upright.
A/N: Dude, you guys... I'm not even joking... I got 100 reviews for chapter eight. No kidding. Probably more... and you know what they all said? "It's not boring, Melodramatic, or overdone. It's awesome!" Lol. I appreciated that guys, but it just got so repetitive... ;o) And, I think I offended someone with my comment about reviews I don't think are genuine... you know the "I love it! Update!" ones. I didn't mean that in a mean way... just that they don't help me at all. It's nice to hear such things, but I'd prefer reviews with suggestions for improvement. That is my sole purpose for doing fan fiction, anyway... not the fans, but the help. To improve.
Someone (can't remember who at the moment) suggested that I not put a character's reaction to another character's speech in the same sentence, such as:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome." Jenna smiled.
"Oh, me too," she said. "Have you seen just married?" Allen frowned and shook his head.
"No, but I hear it's really good."
I appreciate this critique, and have taken it into consideration. One thing I wanted to point out, however, is that your method for correcting the problem is grammatically incorrect. You said to make it:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome."
Jenna smiled. "Oh, me too," she said. "Have you seen just married?"
Allen frowned and shook his head. "No, but I hear it's really good."
You should never... never never never never put unquoted words at the beginning of a paragraph which contains quotation, unless it's part of the sentence.
Harry said, "I love Michael Jackson." Is fine, but this excerpt should be corrected as so:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome."
Jenna smiled.
"Oh, me too," she said. "have you seen just married?"
Allen frowned and shook his head.
"No, but I hear it's really good."
Or you could change the wording, like:
"I love Ashton Kutcher, he's awesome," Allen said and Jenna smiled.