Chapter Two: Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Hermione turned in her chair. She locked her gaze with a pair of grey eyes; they swirled around her head, left….right…. She slipped out of her chair and sank to the ground in a graceless heap.

Potter was too busy staring at him to notice Granger's collapse. Draco had noticed. He stepped one step forward to help her, but then he thought better of it and remained rooted to his spot.

Blaise Zabini walked past the two rivals and helped Nancy pull Hermione back into her chair. He glanced back worriedly to Draco and Potter. He now understood why witnesses were so important. And upon closer inspection of the room he noticed much damage to its structure. This also worried him. He didn't know who he felt worse for. Probably in equal aspects for both participants. Granger and Draco would never live through this matrimony.

"Aren't you going to help your friend Potter?" Draco sneered looking at Grangers limp body. Blaise propped up Granger into her chair and stepped away quickly before Potter turned on him.

Harry looked at Hermione and frowned, he looked back to Draco, "Why do you care?" he asked coolly. Harry had barely noticed that Hermione had fainted. He did his best to hide his embarrassment about forgetting his friend and returned to glaring at Malfoy.

"Well, it appears I have to marry her, so I should like her alive" Draco said rolling his eyes. He remained by the door the whole time. He watched Blaise take the far right seat, leaving him to sit next to Granger.

How on earth? How of all the possible people had he managed to get stuck with her? Well…in honesty, only thirty females in the school had received letters. Twenty of them were substantially younger than him, so his odds weren't all that good. But couldn't they have placed him with someone older? He wouldn't have minded anyone but Granger! Couldn't he have married outside of Britain?

Nothing good would come of this. He would be deprived of a life, of freedom, of sex, of partying, of everything he enjoyed to do. He really wanted to cry and pout, but he did not think fainting would have suited him as well as it did Granger.

"Hermione" Harry said softly as he patted her face, "Eneverate" he whispered poking her with his wand.

Hermione sat up in her chair abruptly, "Oh god Harry, I think I've had a horrid nightmare" she cried grabbing her face with her hands.

"I think we must be having the same dream then Granger" Draco mumbled from the door.

Hermione turned around again; "No" she groaned placing her hands over her face she turned swiftly to Harry, "Goodnight" she said shutting her eyes tightly.

"Hermione, it's not a dream" Harry said trying to pry her fingers off her face.

A loud whining groan issued from her mouth and Harry flinched. "This has got to be a joke. Are you serious?" she asked Nancy.

Nancy shrugged, "Honey, I don't make the policy, I just preserve it" she said sorting papers. "Please take a seat Mr. Malfoy" she suggested pointing to the empty chair.

"No thank you, I'll stand right here by the door" he replied cheekily.

"Well, you can hardly be bonded from there" Nancy sighed tiredly, her fingers crawled into her hair agitatedly.

"No, I'm quite fine" he insisted stubbornly.

"Listen Mr. Malfoy, either sit yourself into this chair, or you can do it with the help of aurors. I've had too many of these damn cases today and I'm not in a patient mood" Nancy snapped.

Draco looked grudgingly at the chair, then walked forward and sat down. He shifted it to the right.

That was just fine by Hermione, the further he was from her, the better. How on earth could she marry Malfoy? Was this some joke? There's no way it could be worse. Stupid Ginny, she must have jinxed everything. Apparently there were many ways that it could be worse, for example: having to marry Malfoy. And there was no way out of it. Regardless of what Harry promised, she and Malfoy would have to go through with it. Hermione's only comfort was that Malfoy hated the idea as much as she did. "Do we have to get bound today?" she asked with a frown.

"Yes" Nancy said shortly.

"But if we get bound, there's no backing out" Hermione cried in distress. Harry placed a hand on her knee to keep her from leaping at the woman.

"Exactly the point love" Nancy said coldly, "exactly the point. But before we can get you bonded we have to set some tactics in order" she explained.

"Like what?" Draco asked nervously.

"Where will you two be living after marriage? You will be married right at the end of your school year, if so, you'll have to have a home in preparation" Nancy said pulling out the correct form and showing it to them.

"My house" Draco and Hermione said in unison.

"Your house?"

"My house!"

"Do you honestly think I'll be living in your dump?" Draco asked heatedly.

Hermione scoffed angrily, "I will not be living in your manor under any circumstance! You are well aware of what happened to me in that hell hole and I refuse to ever return there!" Hermione yelled, she moved closer to him, threatening him with her imminence.

Draco was not perturbed, he moved nearer as well, "I have other estates" he growled.

"NO! I refuse! It will be my house!" Hermione yelled right in his face.

Draco gripped the sides of his chairs tightly, her hot breath hit his nose and heated his face, "Granger, please concede" he said through his gritted teeth. His knuckles whitened and his fingers tightened even more clutching the chair.

"No" Hermione replied evenly. She would not be living in any of his haunted castles; she wanted a real house to spend her life in. She would not be chasing ghosts, wearing black and having pale soft voiced children who spent their afternoons in foggy graveyards!

"Ooo you!" he snarled pulling his wand out of his pocket with practiced ease.

"Accio wand" Blaise said quickly. He had been waiting for Draco to resort to violence. It was easy to see it coming. Nobody ever refused Draco this well, or this often. He was not likely to handle it with grace and dignity.

Draco's wand flew to Blaise's hand, "Blaise! What the hell are you doing? I wanted to curse her!" Draco cried in annoyance turning to his friend.

Blaise ignored him; instead he focused on the document that sat on the table and kept Draco's wand tight in his own hand. This would not end well...

Nancy cleared her throat "Since we can come to no agreement, you will simply have to purchase a new house"

Draco and Hermione both made to object but Nancy silenced them with her raised hand, "Listen you two, if you can't make an agreement, then you will have to liquidate your assets and buy a new home" she said plainly "Those, are the rules".

"Fine" Hermione said brusquely. She could not argue with rules. She grabbed the form on the table and scrawled her signature on it. She practically threw the quill back on the table. It squirted ink angrily. Harry signed his name next to hers carefully, all the while shooting her a worried glance.

Draco mumbled under his breath as he signed his name opposite hers. Stupid Granger, she was really asking for too much, he had many homes to be chosen from, but no…

"How about income?" Nancy asked with pursed lips.

"I have more than enough"

"I'll be a healer"

"You will not be working!" Malfoy spat in anger turning towards Granger.

"What do you expect me to do then?" she asked coldly.

"You will be my wife" he said as though it were the most obvious thing ever.

"That's not a job!" Hermione retaliated, "You chauvinistic backwards swine!"

"Please, let's act like adults" Nancy said with gritted teeth. Harry kept his eyes fixed on Malfoy, he wanted to avoid any dangerous confrontation, but it seemed like everything was escalating towards just that. "Miss Granger, you are perfectly entitled to finish school and work. Mr. Malfoy, if it suits you then you can live off your parents money for the rest of your life" It was clear to see who Nancy was beginning to side with. Hermione had a smug look on her face. "Naturally your accounts will be joined and you shall have full access both ways" she added quietly.

"I don't need his money" Hermione muttered under her breath. She was just aching for a real fight at the moment. She hated Malfoy, and she would not let this go down easily. It was her way or not at all.

"Well I think your wardrobe speaks differently" Draco muttered under his breath. He could hear Granger's snide comments clearly. And they were unwarranted. All he wanted to do was just finish this as quickly as possible and move on in his miserable life. Oh Merlin, he would actually have to live with her. He would have to touch her…he shuddered.

The conversation continued as such. Smart comments and insults were being thrown back and forth but they progressed quickly through the list of important topics. Eventually everything was joined together and decided. Their future was planned and signed.

"Any final questions?" Nancy asked not believing her luck. This hadn't gone over as badly as she had assumed it would have. She had expected a few curses at least. Perhaps her day was not going to be as horrid as she had thought.

"Is she a virgin?" Draco asked Nancy offhandedly.

Both Hermione and Harry were standing in a split second, "That is so not appropriate!" Hermione yelled. She pointed her finger accusatorily at Malfoy and said "he's just trying to be an arse!"

"It is a perfectly valid question!" Draco screamed loudly, he would not put up with this ludicrousness any longer. He had every right to know!

"No it is not. I don't believe the matter is relevant in the slightest regard" Hermione seethed standing as close as she dared. He was a good head taller then her, but he barely intimidated her. She watched his cold eyes narrow treacherously. He was angry, good, so was she.

Draco could feel her warm breath on his chin, how dare she? Who was she to question his standards? Who was she to attempt to control him? "Back off Granger" he sneered placing his hands on her shoulders and gripping tightly. The fabric of her robe crinkled under his fingers and he could feel the knots in her shoulders.

"I suggest you remove your gritty hands from my person Malfoy. In case you have forgotten, I still have my wand" she whispered precariously. Hermione's blood was boiling, she was hot to the touch and she was ready for a fight.

Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in concern "When did you get your wand back?" she asked seriously, staring him in the eyes.

"Who said it was my wand?" Draco purred suggestively as he leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear.

He supposed he foresaw what came next; he supposed he also deserved it.

Hermione slapped him with all the strength she could muster. Draco went back a step and bumped into his chair, "Vile, beastly, inhumane creature!" she screamed at him "Innuendo! Never in my life! You- I can't believe you!" she spouted in frustration. Her face was flushed a deep red and Draco felt slightly proud in making her uncomfortable. But that humor was overshadowed by the rage, she was not allowed to touch him. Let alone hit him.

Draco's chest was heaving; he was not going to take this from a mudblood. He stood quickly and walked towards her, slapping her in return. Granted, a little harder than she had slapped him. Granger barely moved but he could see the pain reflected in her eyes. Good.

"Wife beater" she hissed.

Draco's face fell at her words.

The whole room was in an uproar. Nancy was on the phone, Potter and Blaise were both pointing wands at each other. And yet, Granger was only looking at him gloomily. "Would you sink so low?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I was mad" he spat stepping away from her.

Hermione flinched at those words, "That's not an excuse. You do realize we have to marry, no matter how incompatible we are, no matter how much we hate each other. We can't go back. But if you beat me Malfoy, I will not be against aveda-ing your ass" she said in a deadly whisper.

"Sometimes women need to be hit, they need to know their place" he said with a sneer.

Her leg came up swiftly. Draco was still staring at her face so he barely noticed her quick and calculated move. But he soon found himself cradling little Malfoy in his hands while he lay on the floor. "Jesus" he wheezed as his eyes watered. Her knee had brilliant aim. Blaise was yelling something but Draco was having difficulty comprehending.

Sparks were shooting over his head, Granger knelt down beside him. "Sometimes men need to be taught their place too Malfoy. And it seems you've found yours" she whispered pleasantly. Draco tried to muster a dirty look but there were flashing lights behind his eyes.

Aurors smashed through the door and began restraining all parties, their wands pointed in warning. Before you could say Weasley Wizard Wheezes Draco found himself sitting in his chair next to Granger. Only this time around, his wrists and ankles were attached to the chair, as were everybody else's.

"Well now" Nancy said in a slow and cold tone, "Since we have all settled down, perhaps we should continue…any questions?" Her hair was even more disarranged and pink blotches had appeared on her cheeks.

"I have one" Hermione said huffily.

"Yes Miss Granger" Nancy said dropping her chin into her hand with a sniffle.

"I should like to know if Mr. Malfoy is a virgin" Hermione said with a straight face.

Draco flushed bright red. Stupid bint! She was attempting to get back at him, well, not likely. "I most certainly am not, and when we are married, I will show you my expertise" he grinned lightly, "So that would lead to the question of your virginity"

"I should like to keep that to myself" Hermione said, but it was directed to Nancy, not Malfoy. Nancy nodded in understanding.

"Anything else?" she asked rolling her eyes and waving her hand.

"Am I really required to…touch him?" Hermione asked with a shudder.

"Yes, you are required by the ministry to begin procreation two months after your wedding…if that is all, I should like to explain what happens next" Nancy said looking back down into her binder.

"What happens next?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Well, you can't very well just go off after everything that has happened here, oh on, you will need training" Nancy said calmly as she took out another batch of papers from her desk. There was a small smirk on her face, a revenge she had in store.

"Training?" Blaise asked in perplexity. He was still in disbelief about the situation. Perhaps things had gotten a little out of hand. He wondered if this fight would go down on his permanent record, he couldn't have any blemishes upon it! He had to send one in for his post-secondary education.

"Yes, call it a marriage boot camp if you will" Nancy said evenly, "Mr. Malfoy and Mrs. Granger will be spending the next month leading up to their wedding handling the situations of a married couple"

"What kind of situations?" Hermione asked cautiously. Bile was rising up her throat, nervousness clinging to her back like sweat. She hated the idea of a test, they always made her nervous. Especially this one, considering her drive to do exceptionally well.

"I cannot say. But they will come to you, and you and Mr. Malfoy will be expected to handle them correctly and gracefully. It will allow you to become more comfortable with the idea of living with one another" Nancy explained pushing yet another paper towards Hermione.

"Is it possible to fail this course?" Draco asked.

"Oh yes" Nancy said with a solemn nod.

"What happens then?" Hermione asked leaning forward. She turned to look at Malfoy, he looked back at her. There was a mutual fear surrounding the room.

"Ah, perhaps the consequences are too dire to even consider. My suggestion is that you pass it. It would be in your interest to do so" Nancy said with a sad smile. It was as though she already knew what the results would be.