Disclaimer: If it's worth suing, it's worth reviewing. Thank you.
Hermione Malfoy
A/N: Well…I guess ya'll like it…;) Good, I commend your taste. Hello to those kids in Sydney that talk about this story in their English Class: I have ears everywhere… ;)
Chapter Four
It had certainly not been Hermione's idea to hold hands as they walked down the hall. It had merely been her idea not to make out in the hall. Somehow, this was the result.
"Be careful of what you drink in the future, Malfoy," she muttered darkly into his ear, pulling back with a sweet smile and giggle that gave her breakfast a second tour of her mouth.
"Such anger isn't healthy, my love," Draco tsked, raising her hand to his mouth for a kiss.
"Why are you being so nice?" Hermione hissed.
Draco smirked back at her, "You're my wife."
Hermione clenched her teeth, "But you hate me," she whispered, pulling him into a corner.
"And where did you get this idea?" he raised his eyebrows.
"You've always been pretty obvious about your feelings for mudbloods…me, in particular."
Draco shrugged, "Mudblood, schmudblood…who cares?"
Hermione blinked at her husband. All of his years of hate were suddenly at an end just because he…got married? No. He was up to something.
"You'll appreciate this, Granger," he smirked, forgetting to call her Mrs. Malfoy in that annoying way of his as his eyes alighted with some disturbing thought she feared he was about to share with her, "I've been putting this theory together for a few years now."
"What? That muggles may have been onto something with the whole toothpaste idea?" she asked.
Draco rolled his eyes, "Even better. You see, my dearest Mrs. Malfoy, superiority is a funny thing. I've discovered, in my observations, that I'm not superior to everyone because of my blood."
"Fabulous, Malfoy," Hermione rolled her eyes, "You're a bloody genius. However did you figure that one out?"
"Rather!" he ignored her, continuing on, "I'm superior to everyone because they've made me their god."
Hermione was hard pressed to recall a more violent need to upchuck.
"I was thinking about it one day. Crabbe is a pureblood. Doyle is a pureblood. Pansy is a pureblood. Good lord, WEASLEY is a pureblood. And yet you, the smartest girl at Hogwarts are mudblood."
Crossing her arms, Hermione started to tap her foot, "Are you arriving at some kind of point soon?"
Draco couldn't help feeling a bit perturbed at Hermione's lack of appreciation for his genius.
"Granger," he whined in annoyance, forgetting to use her new name yet again, "It isn't who I AM that makes me superior to everyone, it's what I DO. I simply command and they obey. Like that," he snapped.
She actually looked a little ill at his announcement. Obviously, the implications were lost on her, for the brilliance of it was nothing short of fabulous to him.
"You could do the same thing, you know," he smiled, hoping that would help get his point across to her. People always liked it better when they had something to gain.
"I could what, be the goddess?" she raised an eyebrow.
"The spot's open," he smirked.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Come on, let's get to class," she took his hand and pulled him along.
She was weakening, he could tell.
Letting go of Draco's hand the second they hit the classroom, Hermione slipped into her usual place next to Harry, who looked up at her in surprise.
"Morning," she mumbled, ignoring Draco's attempts to catch her eye as he slid into his own seat next to Crabbe.
"Not sitting by your husband?" Harry asked with obvious bitterness.
"We've always sat here," she frowned, as though the possibility that she might be allowed to sit anywhere she wished had never occurred to her. It actually had, she was just hoping it hadn't occurred to Draco. He seemed to find the fondest delight in flaunting their 'relationship.'
"That was before you decided not to mention things like—I don't know, your wedding—to us," Ron hissed from Harry's other side.
Hermione eyed her friends in annoyance, "Just grow up, will you? It's my choice to make. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but honestly, considering your behavior now, can you really tell me you wouldn't reacted WELL to the idea?"
The boys at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed.
"I thought not," Hermione sniffed.
"If we're all done with chit-chat," Snape glared at them, "We'll start your first class of the new year."
He couldn't have sounded less excited about the prospect and Hermione couldn't help agreeing with the sentiment.
"I'm sure you've all studied ahead…unless you had more important matters to attend to this summer?" Snape looked pointedly at Hermione at this statement, which made her a little indignant.
They had, after all, had a war on not long ago, so there were other pressing matters that may have been distracting. And even if one felt the need to draw attention to the whole getting married thing, he could cast his superior eye Draco's way as well!
This whole bloody class would be so much better if she was a Slytherin… And apparently marrying into it didn't help matters.
"Would anyone like to share with us what we'll be studying this semester?"
By some twisted turn of events, Neville Longbottom raised his hand.
It was as though the whole class took a collective gasp. Though for Draco, it was more like a choked fit of laughter. Hermione ought to know, she'd recognize the sound anywhere.
"Mr. Longbottom," Snape stared down his nose at the Gryffndor. "You would like to share what we're headed for this semester?"
Neville opened his mouth, closed it, looked wildly around at his fellow classmates…and fainted.
Snape rolled his eyes and continued on without a beat. "Perhaps someone else?" he asked dryly, "Ms. Granger, care to share?"
Every eye moved from Neville's beached form to Hermione.
She heard Draco cough clearly and was annoyed with him for not taking the responsibility out of her hands. Sure, he could defend her, but this, he was making her do.
"That's not…erm…I go by my married name now," she mumbled.
She received several sharp glances and a few gasps as she spoke. Apparently, word hadn't traveled as quickly as she'd expected.
"Ahh yes," Snape nodded, "And what is your married name, for the record, then?"
The class waited in a dead hush, staring at her expectantly as Neville finally came to, pulling himself awkwardly into his chair.
Hermione swallowed, "Malfoy. Hermione Malfoy."
She met Draco's eye and he smirked.
Neville tumbled back to the floor.
Hermione had been avoiding him ever since Potions.
The look on her face when she'd said his name…now her name as well.
Could there ever have been a time when he hadn't wanted to live? When he didn't see any joy in his future?
And who would have known that marrying the know-it-all mudblood, Hermione Granger, would have been that thing to make him so deliriously happy?
Sure, it wasn't the same sort of delirium most newlyweds experienced, but surely it was more lasting, ultimately.
Passion faded.
But annoying the hell out of Hermione would * always * be funny.
He seemed to have a special ability when it came to driving her to the brink of insanity and beyond.
Just standing there, he could drive her mad. Not because of anything he was doing at the moment, other than breathing in that frustrating way he had. But rather, whatever he was up to next.
The attentive husband rot was making her sick to her stomach. She'd never be able to eat.
"Oh God, just go over there," Ron moaned into his soup.
"What?" Hermione frowned.
"If you MUST stare at him all the time, could you just go over there and leave us out of it?"
Hermione's mouth dropped, "I wasn't-"
Ginny giggled slightly, "Yes, you were."
"Traitor," Hermione glared at the other girl, who shrugged it off carelessly.
"Shhh," Harry hissed at them, motioning to Dumbledore as he stood in front of them, motioning for quiet.
Silence reigned and Dumbledore began to speak, "It has come to my attention that there is an announcement we failed to make last night at the sorting…"
Hermione's heart began to race as she looked about quickly for a place to hide.
"Could we get our Head Boy and Girl to come up here a moment?"
Eyes closing in mortification, Hermione dragged herself in front of the student body as Draco sauntered gracefully to her side.
"This," Dumbledore began, "is Draco Malfoy of Slytherin and this," he turned to Hermione, "is Hermione…Malfoy of Gryffndor. They were just married recently," he informed the student body, "Let's give them our congratulations," he started clapping and the student body joined him…though whether it was out of pure shock, it was tough to tell.
As the clapping died down, Hermione turned to Draco, unsure what they should do at this point.
And that was when she heard it.
It started small, but grew louder, sweeping from the Gryffndor table to the Slytherin until every student was looking at the couple expectantly…banging their glasses with their spoons.
Hermione looked at Draco in alarm, "I thought that was just a muggle tradition."
"Nope," he smirked, "Wizards have weddings too. C'mere, Mrs. Malfoy," he drew her against him, dipping her low over his knee.
Everything on the planet seemed to halt as he held her, his lips drawing closer and closer…
TBC