"Draco…I'm going to have a heart attack. Yes, I'm going to have a heart attack." Hermione's breaths panted quickly from her chest, hyperventilating as she attempted to take her own pulse with the press of her finger in against the quick beating vein in her jugular. "I can feel it! Oh my lord…this isn't happening….how did this happen! What the fuck happened?"
"Such a mouth on you, Granger," Draco commented numbly to her tirade, dully looking down to inspect the nature of his nails for a moment.
Hermione was completely beyond herself in panic and it was rather apparent from the way her formally gentle curls were now frizzing out around her face as she nonstop paced her feet in the small space she'd resided herself to inside the cramped classroom just down from McGonagall's new office.
"I'm sorry; its Malfoy now, isn't it?" Finally, the pacing stopped! The comment had Hermione spinning drastically on her heel, daring a glare straight through the center of his head before he chuckled to continue in that horribly casual tone of his, "Apparently this happened somewhere between me being hammered drunk when we ran through the fountain…"
Hermione's head popped up to him, cocking it quickly as she stared her statement against him, "I don't remember a fountain…"
"Precisely, freckles."
All Hermione could do was shake the blank stare on her face at him, trying to understand how she'd managed to get so black out drunk, for the first time in her life, without even knowing it and trying to figure out how she could have been so irresponsible that she would go and have her first marriage be some stumbling end to a drug binging night instead of the carefully sought to details of the wedding she'd always dreamed would start the happiest days of her life. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be! She was supposed to fall in love, get engaged, plan a beautiful wedding and live happily ever after…not wake up married and plan to beg the Ministry for an annulment all before she'd turned twenty one!
"Well, somewhere between the stupid drunk we were at the fountain and the completely fucked drunk that we were when we passed out in my bed, we appear to have gotten hitched and all without me ever kissing you. I'm pretty sure that's what happened but like I said, I'm a bit hazy on the details here considering the fact that I've formed a serious habit over you and I have a tendency to push it to the limit in your presence so if you have any sudden clues on the matter…I'm all ears."
"They're going to kick us out of school. I'm never going to graduate…my mum and dad will never speak to me again and they're barely alright being around me now! I can't imagine what McGonagall is going to tell them." There she went again, damn near fully into break down mode, over exaggerating as her breaths started to pant once again, nervously ringing her hands in front of her lap. "I remember smoking with Pansy, a lot…and whatever Blaise gave me…I remember A LOT of liquor. Did I do shrooms?"
"What the bloody hell are shrooms? And are you kidding me right now, Granger? We got married…we didn't blow up Hogwarts. Well, again." She looked like she wanted to toss herself out the nearest window there inside the small, vacant classroom that they'd been practically ushered into the moment they'd stepped foot onto Hogwart's grounds. "No, you did not do whatever shrooms are, as far as I recall."
"You don't recall us getting married either, Draco." Hermione had her eyes hard and dead set against him, firmly placing her arms over the swell of her chest, rapidly tapping her fingers against the muscles of her upper arm.
"Well I do recall telling you that you weren't doing dust so I think I remember a bit more than you think."
"Draco, we have to fix this. It's not supposed to be like this…" Those pristine blue eyes of his were raised defiantly at her command, staring down at her as he brought his hands to rest low along the bend of his hips on the either side of his body. He wanted to argue for reasons unbeknownst to him but she honestly looked so wounded and hurt over the matter as she asked him, "Aren't you upset? Like, at all? This can't be what you want. We are married, Draco Malfoy."
"I've never honestly thought too hard on marriage to tell you the Merlin's honest truth, freckles. I probably should be going irate that I've signed my life away and I should probably be in hysterics about the reactions and consequences that will come from that but I'm not." Hermione had long since stopped rapping the tips of her fingers along her biceps as she watched him as he watched her fully, answering her dryly, honestly, and unconcerned with his revelations. "It's funny. I should be hysterical, I know I should, but I'm too bleeding caught up on you being hysterical."
"How about what your mother and father will think? Your friends? MY friends? How about the fact that you just got married! We just got married, Draco! Are you not understanding that? How can you not be upset? You don't even love me!"
"Lucius is in Azkaban, which I'm sure you didn't forget… so why don't you try digging into some other nerve if you want to be bitter, freckles."
"Draco, I didn't mean it like…"
"I don't know why you insist on thinking I care what your friends think about me personally but I certainly still do not and since I felt a rather eerie chill sweep my body about twenty minutes prior…I'd say my mother is already here and is more than likely been filled in on my extracurricular activities so you can ask her what she thinks herself shortly, I imagine."
"And what about my parents, Draco? Hm? They've lost an entire year from me and now here I am, married, to a man that they don't even know!"
His mouth was already opening with those velvet laced words of his, she was sure, but whatever it was Draco thought about the matter would have to wait because they were both interrupted by the swift entrance of Minister Shacklebolt loaming into doorway with his large presence filling the open void.
"Well, might we all take a seat?" His broad smile never faltered, opening his large hand out and watching as the two young bodies moved to fold down into a single bench beside each other, both of their eyes and heads alike following his every move as he slid the large wood door of the room closed behind him, moving himself to sit his high posture down over the edge of the worn desk propped up adjacent to them.
"So did we pass?" Draco asked with that casual glance from off those silver flecked hues, watching as the tall man sighed to reach inside of his robes, slowly pulling either of Draco's and Hermione's wands from its deep confines before brandishing them off to the two of them, one at a time.
"Yes, your wands. Oh, no..." Hermione quickly accepting her wand as the man corrected his wording swiftly, "I didn't mean yes regarding the matter, sorry about that. No, I'm afraid you're not doing so well on this case, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."
"Sir…have you ever met my new wife?" Draco was having far too much fun with the situation, his ever amused smirk so deeply set into the dangerous lines of his face, tilting against the corner of his mouth as he informed him, "You shouldn't tell her she's failing something. There are serious, unbelievably drastic consequences to that."
"Are you saying we can't have this mess annulled?" Hermione stretched the bright red length of her heels along the floor, sliding her weight to the end of the scarred remains of the wood bench as she gripped the edge with either hand, awaiting the answer with bated breath.
"Seriously, Sir. Her head starts spinning, foaming from the mouth, explosions and the entire works…it's not a pretty sight."
"Shut it, Draco."
The entire train to Hogwarts, this was exactly how Draco had spent the hours taking and swallowing down the news. Instead of having a holy meltdown like any rational male would have, he simply went about complying with the small requests from McGonagall and Shacklebolt, turning over his wand, owling his mother, and remaining tucked away in the back compartment awaiting the arrival of their welcoming trial at Hogwarts as he sat quietly towards the window, keeping an arm swept along Hermione's slumped shoulders. The entire ride, the entire shuffle inside Hogwarts, and the entire quick parade that had nearly drug them both into the vacant classroom awaiting the verdict of their predicament, Draco only smiled arrogantly, gliding by the people as they stopped to look and stare.
"I'm afraid that there are ten separate criteria's one must question under the process of annulment and in order for a wizarding couple to obtain said annulment, at least eight of the ten must be met in full and without shadow of a doubt." The minister watched the two of them from the slight raised posture of his single brow, trying to interject with the business of the matter before the two of them went at bickering once again. Honestly, he could have heard them all the way from the Quidditch Pitch with the way they carried on but he was on a deadline here so he attempted to press on, leaving his tone in that dull, equipped pitch.
"So it's safe to say we're not acing this one with flying colors?" Draco asked dryly, pressing his elbows down over the tops of his knees as he allowed his hands to fall slack between his parted thighs.
"Again, I'm afraid not." Shacklebolt paused, his eyes washing over the rather nonchalant stare that the young Draco Malfoy was setting back to him. It was a strange thing to watch him sit so truly unbothered by the dilemma, putting on a rather unconvincing show but for who Kingsley couldn't quite put his finger on.
"The first criteria states that one must be of sound body and mind at the time that the marriage agreement was signed."
"Sir…We were most certainly not of conscious mind because I don't even remember talking to Draco about marriage. Ever! There is no way we had any idea what we were doing."
"Well my dear that was the reason for us requiring you to submit your wands. You see, the bond of marriage in the wizarding world is a very serious tie. It requires serious effort, a strong will and the desire to do so." So they'd run a spell check, literally, on their wands? Tricky fucking bastards…not that Draco was too surprised but he certainly was none too pleased. He had a strange inclining something of the nature might occur when McGonagall had so politely demanded them to turn their wands over just a few hours prior but it still left an uneasy feeling washing through his core. "Unfortunately from the degree of power from the bond that the two of you merged, willingly, I cannot believe that despite your lack of memory that you were not of solid thought, subconscious or not."
"We're being punished for our subconscious right now, freckles…do you hear that?"
"The second would be a matter of consummation." The man's large face moved slowly to set on Draco, watching as he moved his eyes up along him with silent, hesitant question but he sat still in his slack position, trying to keep that subtle grin on his from giving away every detail of his thoughts. For a moment Draco just grinned at the man, staring as Shacklebolt refused to ask him the question that needed to be asked, silently tilting his head to press Draco into telling him without any longer procrastination.
"Are you asking me if I've had sex with my wife, Sir?"
"Stop calling me that, Draco."
"Unfortunately that is precisely what I'm asking, Mr. Malfoy." They were just children to him, regardless of the fact that he knew the abilities they both were quite capable of, but the thought of either of them engaging in anything of the matter made the veins in his eyes pulse.
"I firmly do not recall laying a hand on the woman that night. I'm not even sure how I could have kissed the bride…" Draco shook his head in a furrow of thoughts, trying to piece them back together but he did truly remember telling Granger no later that night in his bed so he couldn't imagine that if he'd thought they'd gotten married that would have been the case in the slightest.
"If relations never happened or only took place prior to the marriage then there are grounds for dismissal. If relations have happened post and prior to the marriage or simply post to the marriage…well…" Shacklebolt purposely let his words drag, hoping the young man would answer him before he was forced to keep referring to this with such sketchiness.
"Well, score two for the Ministry." Draco tossed his hand up a bit, scoffing as he tipped his head back to gauge the expression burning a heavy blush over Hermione's cheeks as she stared wide eyed and horrified down at the tile.
"I see…well, perhaps we should move on to number three."
"Please move on to number three. I just want to get to dinner and get this whole mess over with." Hermione pleaded softly, trying not to tear the fabric of her dress as she strained to keep her skeleton from jumping straight out of her skin, holding onto the ledge of her seat for dear life.
"Considering the last restriction, I'm afraid I must ask if you're with child, my dear."
Hermione's breath rushed into her lungs with a fierce flow, scrunching her face so hard that Draco was sure it might actually freeze that way but she shook her head hard and without question."No, absolutely not. I'm not an idiot. Well…I got married so I am an idiot but not with that. No. No I am most certainly not pregnant." Hermione had pointed her finger to the minister to ensure he understood before she narrowed it on Draco but he only lifted either of his fists up as bit as he gave her a short laugh and a hoot of noise.
"Horaay! Score one for team Malfoy thanks to Granger not being a moron!" In a swift movement, Hermione swatted the back of her hand in against Draco's chest, her suddenly satisfied smile unable to hide itself as he let out a hard oomph of air at the impact. "
Did you even hear what just came out of your mouth? Team Malfoy? I can't believe I married you."
"I'm sorry, headmistress, is it? This is just a lot to digest at the moment…" The fair skinned woman sat quite still in her large leather cushioned chair as she reached her hand across to rest along her husband's for a wave of support she was desperately searching for at the moment.
"You believe their story, Minerva?" It was a much shorter tone that questioned hard into the room from the woman seated just off to the right of the overly carved desk smack dab in the center of the room.
The sour face on the elder witch, standing tall behind her desk with her fingertips gingerly resting at the edge, fell bitterly in a very tight lipped affirmation to the infamous Narcissa Malfoy as she sat so delicately with her ankles crossed over the other as she tucked them lightly off to the side of her chair. "We both know that your son is not the most forthcoming, Narcissa, but I have no choice but to believe Miss. Gran…er, Hermione's story or I wouldn't have requested you all to come here so suddenly and on such terribly short notice, I'm afraid."
The was a brief moment of pride that flashed over the young Mrs. Granger's face but it was Mrs. Malfoy, the original, as she stifled a spout of laughter from spilling from her lips by placing a delicate placement of her fingers over top of the twisting turns of her mouth that had Minerva flinching a deep frown against the pale blonde witch before her. "I'm sorry, Minerva, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, really, do pardon me…it's just that…" Narcissa could just barely control her laughter now as she moved to clutch her hand along her stomach, trying to find the will to make herself continue without the hysterics. "Oh, Mrs. Granger, you remember young love don't you?" Slowly the woman's dark eyes shifted strangely along Mrs. Malfoy as she moved to place either of her dark boots down against the ground, resting her hands over the bend of her proper knees as she watched intently for her answer.
"I can't say it ever drove me to toss back a few too many and get hitched, I'm afraid, Mrs. Malfoy. Please don't take this the wrong way but my daughter…our daughter isn't the type to just do something so irrational…"
"And as of a few weeks ago, Hermione was still head over heels with…what his name?"
"Weaselbum? WeaselBaum? Is it bee?" Hermione's mother questioned quietly, sighing as she realized that perhaps they were over estimating their own blood here. It was their own daughter after all who had managed to wipe herself out of existence in their lives not to mention bringing it all crashing back.
"Weasley." Percy Weasley corrected his own surname with a bit of distaste, sliding in behind the Headmistress's desk with ease as he tilted his head to accommodate the height he towered in against the older witch before him.
"Yes, Weasley." Mrs. Granger corrected herself.
"You misunderstand me, Mr. Granger…I fully believe that Draco was the root and soul cause in this incident. Your daughter is very…" Narcissa smiled genuinely at the couple as she fluttered her surprisingly dark lashes up at them. "She is a very enchanting young woman and I believe that is why my son has acted so rashly. He's been quite taken with her for some time, it seems."
"Our daughter is also not one to be persuaded away from her own hopes and desires, Mrs. Malfoy, don't get me wrong." Mrs. Granger reminded both herself and her husband with that short phrase, lowering her eyes to her own lap as she mumbled in the tinge of sadness that fell from her lips, "I just wish I could have been there. We've already missed so much."
"I'm sorry, dear but not only did the two of you not satisfy the requirement of at least eight out of the ten criteria's that needed to be met but you both failed eight out of the ten criteria's that needed to be met." Hermione looked downright defeated, horrified and appalled all at the same time. It was quite an interesting mix of emotion on her normally upturned face and it had Draco leaning forward onto the rest of his elbows atop his knees to tilt his head in further to watch the reaction to the fullest. "Your only option is to wait a full duration of a year from the date of the bonded union and attempt to file for divorce."
"Minerva?" Percy questioned the elder witch as he stood behind her, blocking her departure from leaving the open door frame of the classroom where she stood, silently peering into the scene unfolding.
Not once in Hogwarts history had they needed a precedent for this sort of situation, for something as insane as two students being married while still attending school and it left Minerva with the feeling that it was the start to a rather eventful year."Well I suppose the original sleeping quarters can be put back into order considering that our two Heads are no longer just dating. No, they had to go and decided to do something so foolish as to sign their wedding vows to each other to avoid separating." That reprimanding look was so stiffly present on the dark haired witch's stern face as she held true to that unbelievably tough emotional composure of hers, her words whipping directly to the two students in question from her distance with that hard, pinched tone of hers.
"Professor, I assure you that we did not…"
"Save it Miss…" Somehow McGonagall managed to tighten her lips a shred closer as she corrected herself before she could continue on to her prize student, "Mrs. Malfoy. I had every hope that the two of you would somehow manage not to kill each other through this year to give a beacon of hope out to the Hogwarts students and I had wanted the two of you to show unity among the houses by joining your strengths as our two new heads but I didn't realize that you two would feel the desire to go so far above and beyond." Hermione's eyes cast to the ground quickly, lowering her head with a weak press of air from her lips, "I will, no doubt, be blown away by everything my Heads do this year, now won't I?"
"Yes Professor," both Draco and Hermione answered softly into the air, turning their heads to watch as the Headmistress moved to unfold her hands only briefly before lifting them upright into the air, sighing as she slapped her thighs and moved to shoot a stern eye over to the tall Weasley just behind her shoulder as she angled round.
"Should we make an announcement?"
"No, not yet. I believe that both Mrs. Malfoy and the Grangers would like a word with their children first. They're still waiting in Albus's office. " The woman's high brow somehow managed to stiffen tighter as she nodded her head in affirmation to Hermione's questionably perking eyes. "Oh yes, my dear, they're quite anxious to have a word with you two…now if you two can manage not to screw anything else up in the next forty five minutes, I have a sorting to head. I expect that you'll be in the hall by the end of desert. Percy…"
"Yes, Professor. After you." Ever the gentleman, Percy opened his hand out as he stepped from his blocking foot, offering Hermione a sad shake to his head before he dipped out behind the swaying robes of his Headmistress, offering himself a soft smile at her insistence upon referring to her office, still, as Dumbledore's. It was the second year the quite capable witch had sat in that seat and still she never took claim to the throne.
Minerva slid her glasses along her nose as she slowed her steps into the hall, turning against her heel suddenly and fully to face Percy as she lifted a finger to request to him, "Remind me to take fifty points each from both Mr. Malfoy and his new bride…" She gave them one last judging glance from her spot in the hall through the open doorframe, continuing on irritably well before she'd tilted her head back round to the tall red head before her, "For being so unbelievably stupid."
"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Ginny sat still despite the constant vibration that was emitting through the walls thanks to the endless chattering of the Great Hall already in full swing. It was a strange thing, being back in the hall that was still fully under repairs. As much as Ginny wanted to focus on the sad details of the half missing candles that once filled the ceiling space above her head, she was thankful to preoccupy herself with the chaos that had erupted earlier in the day.
The whole not remembering thing…" Ginny reiterated in the lack of Harry's response, sitting in the same spot on the bench that she'd managed to slide upright into when she, Harry, Luna, and Neville had practically been tossed onto it once they'd weaseled their way through the swarms of students filing to find a table, most without a house yet. It was the first year in all of Ginny's knowledge that dinner had been served prior to sorting but at the scene of pure pandemonium that had broken out merely at the mention of the Malfoy nuptials at the train station, Ginny was beginning to understand why. Still, this was a new year so with a new year came new traditions, right? She was certainly not going to bicker about being served before being yapped at.
"He looked pretty freaked out…" Luna commented softly, drawing her eyes up to Neville to gauge his thoughts on the matter but he was far too busy watching to confliction setting into Harry's face from where he sat just across the row of him to acknowledge her with more than a small agreeing nod to Luna's observation.
"They've been gone for over hour…and I think I saw Malfoy's mum with the Minister." This time, Neville actually spoke to the raven haired man sitting there staring at the polished shine of his black boots from beneath the table, ignoring the food untouched on his plate but Harry didn't actually have any words to say in response to any of them.
I mean, he'd just barely began to process the fact that Hermione was all too serious about dating Malfoy, and that Malfoy seemed all too serious about dating Hermione but now he was going to have to find a way to understand the fact that she was very much, indeed, married to the man, as it turns out. To be fully honest, Harry wanted to rip Draco's smug little head clean off but the more he wanted to hate him, the more Harry realized that doing such would only push Hermione further and further to him but how much further could she really run into the man? She was already his wife…the only thing worse than that would be having his children! Harry gave a rather visual shift at the thought sweeping his brain, his head dropping to his waiting palm with a well needed smack to his forehead to try and dislodge the thought of his best female friend knocked up with the Prince of Peroxide's baby.
"How could she be so stupid?"
"Harry…" Ginny too had been shocked rigid in her seat with her feet planted fully on the ground, her hands resting over the bend of her knees but Harry's comment had her head turning to scowl against him regardless of her stand still posture before she shook it fully at him, "Hermione is not stupid."
"She said she was so drunk she doesn't even know how it could be possible, Gin…that seems like the perfect way to describe someone who's acted really stupid, don't you think?" Harry's tone was a bit louder then Ginny was sure he'd intended but his words were a bit colder than she truly wanted him to be intending. "Ok, fine, how could she do something so stupid?"
There was a small shift Harry gave in his seat at the quiet silence that answered him back, leaving him to clear his throat lowly while he moved to brush the frame of his glasses up against the bridge of his nose, pressing the thin line of his lips firmly together under his rapid firing thoughts as his brain triggered the memory of his small encounter with Draco outside the train.
"Potter! Wait up!" Malfoy lifted his hand up into the air, his brows inclined as he caught sight with Harry. He looked rather annoyed with himself, tensely straightening his school tie that he was still trying to swagger on, slithering his way through the crowd with a rather quick pace to interrupt Harry on his way to collect his baggage.
"Malfoy…I suggest you talk in short words and short sentences because I truly want to dismember you right now." Harry showed no need to hide his true emotions but deep down beneath it all; Draco loved that about his rival because it always made things interesting. Potter may have hated Draco's guts but he didn't pretend and whisper about it behind his back. No, Harry told him up front with a serious set to his face.
"You Gryffindor's are always so peachy…" There was a brief sound that grunted at the back of Harry's throat, leaving Draco to give his own groan while he moved to stand opposite of the man, his mouth wincing back as he fought his own tongue and brain to get the words out, "Listen, I need your help."
"You just got my best friend sloshed and hitched and you want my help? Sod off. The only reason I'm not slicing you to bits myself is because you are in fact married to her and half of Hogwarts is standing around me. That doesn't make us chums. "
"Alright…let me rephrase." Draco let the word drag off his tongue, tilting his head before he explained, "I want your help. Unfortunately there is a very large difference, Potter but I have no delusions on our friendship so let us not get that twisted."
Harry stood staring the small couple of inches up that Draco stood over him, his arms making a firm motion to toss up and tighten hard over his chest to keep his hands from doing what they truly wanted to do. "What could you possibly want my help with? And where the hell is my best friend while we're at it."
"She would be trying to get out of the mess that I undoubting got her into but I need your help stopping her from doing that." Harry didn't make a noise, not a single sound as he stared at Draco with utter disbelief. "I need a vile of…"
"Again, sod off, Malfoy. I'm not helping you drug Hermione. I mean, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Potter…really?" Draco lifted a hand out in the air, his mouth slightly agape as he shook his head at the ignorance that had just spilled from the man's mouth. "I am talking about a mixture of pensieve and…"
"I'm not even sure how to get that, Malfoy or even what you're talking about."
"God damnit, Potter, you know what pensieve is. You are not making this easy." Those cerulean heats were open wide and set hard into the man, trying to ignore the heavy stares washing behind them as the students slid to collect their things. "Snape made a vile, a mixture of it and a few other things that I don't know, a few years back, left it stored in his personal closet. If she takes it…she'll remember everything."
"You're already married so it doesn't even matter how you got there so why does this even matter to you?" Harry was thoroughly unamused, not to mention completely confused, at what it was, and why it was, Draco wanted Harry's help on this strange little matter.
"Ah but it does matter, Potter, because it fucking matters to her." Malfoy didn't seem all too thrilled as it was to stand there talking to him but he looked even less pleased to be asking for a favor. "She'll remember every moment from that night…everything I can't. I mean, go ask her how I managed to convince the smartest witch of our time to do the stupidest thing she'd ever do in her life and then come back to me and tell me you don't want to help me, Potter."
Harry stood still for awhile, watching Draco from beneath the down turn of his head and from over the dull rim of his rounded glasses before he gave him a rather defeated press of air to hiss out from his lips. "She could hate you after this…you have no idea what could come out. You might not be so chivalrous in this sudden noble act here, Malfoy."
"I understand that, Potter and I accept those terms but if I'm truly a monster and mean her nothing but evil then you have nothing to fear by helping me hang myself." A small shrug moved through Draco's broad shoulders, tucking both of his hands low into the depths of his pockets as he added, "She needs to remember and it's the least I can do but you are the only one who can get back into Snape's personal storage without being detected…so here we are."
It was a risk that even Harry was not sure he wanted to take. Not the breaking into Snape's personal stash of potions and plundering, no, it was what the particular potion that Malfoy was requesting did that had Harry thinking twice about receiving to test out on one of his closest surrogate kin. It was strong and unpredictable at best, and while Malfoy assured Harry that he would try it on himself first, Harry was terrified what the results could unveil. On one end, Hermione could see Draco for the monster that Harry still half believed that he was. She could discover he meant no good to her when he supposedly saved her last year, if the thing worked that far back, and that he has no real genuine motives for her well being now but on the other end, Harry was finding himself paranoid that there was a slight possibility that he could actually be wrong and that Hermione would only find herself more and more compelled to stay with self proclaimed former Death Eater.
"I'll see what I can do…but I'm not making any promises."
"Well that's more than I could have hoped for, Potter. Thanks." Perhaps Draco didn't mean to appear arrogant…oh who was Harry kidding? Of course he did. Even then, asking him for a favor to impress, woe, or whatever he was trying to do with Hermione he appeared smug as he offered his hand out to him, raising his brows daftly when Harry simply looked at the protruding appendage being held out to him.
"Right." Against his better judgment, and with those hunter green eyes of his watching carefully against Draco's mercurial ones, Harry sent his hand out to give Draco's a firm shake, tearing his hand and his body away with as much swiftness as he could manage before he added, "Not doing it for you though, Malfoy."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Potter."
"Percy said they signed the license last week." Ginny interjected, snapping Harry from his drifting thoughts as his girlfriend tried to keep the situation as calm as she possibly could, "You think they got hitched the night she and Ron broke up?"
"She would have had to." Harry whispered back harshly, his vibrant eyes darting around the table to ward off the leaning ears just dying to dive further into the rumors that had already began circulating but even they could hear the bright, loud tone of Pavarti Patil blundering from down the table.
"Have you seen it? Have you seen Wondering Witch?" Pavarti came bounding down the row towards the back of the Gryffindor table, her voice reaching the party intended, and everyone else in radius, far before her body approached brandishing a rather tussled magazine in her hand and straight out before Lavender's quirking face. "Tell me you've seen it…"
"What is it?" Lavender popped up from beneath the loving arm of Ron far quicker than he was prepared as she literally bounced onto the edge of her seat when Pavarti tossed herself down on the bench adjacent, practically shoving a third year down to make way for herself with little to no concern. Her thin fingers grasped at either side of the front cover, holding her arms straight before her as Lavender grasped at own her knees, bending her head to eye the gossipy cover stories.
There was a small pause of sound on Lavender's lips before she gasped out loud dramatically, lifting her head up above the pages, her eyes wildly open up at her best friend with that girlish grin desperately stretching her face wide.
"It's got to be true! You heard them outside…it's got to be! It's right here."
"What is it?" It was Ron's turn to slide down his seat, frowning as the two girls so fond of slander quickly patted the magazine off in front of him and onto the one empty spot not littered with dishes and plates of food, the both of them pointing adjacently to the small article on the bottom of the page.
"Hermione Jean Granger weds Draco Lucius…son of a bitch." Ron felt his fingertips clench along the semi glossed pages, his heart twanging with a rapid pace of blood shooting through his veins. Suddenly the room felt far too warm, feeling his breath panting at his chest as he squirmed to keep his composure but he was alone in this. There was no one for him to rant his rage to and there was no one to feel the turmoil burning down into his core. His own girlfriend was geeked beyond capacity at the thought while his best friend and sister sat staring daggers from down the row anytime Lavender's voice reached one of her protruding pitches.
He'd felt downright terrible about everything in all honesty. The way he and Hermione had finally ended, the way he'd chosen to go about it, and lastly among the long list of regrets was his choice to sit down with The Daily Prophet for that stupid interview considering how badly they'd twisted his words anyways. He'd almost owled her the second he'd read how poorly they'd made her out to be, trying to explain that he hadn't said a word about her and Draco sneaking around because deep down even he knew it wasn't true but he knew it'd only make matters worse. Still, the slandering words that he'd kept reading over and over again over the last few days had Ron's heart sinking in a horrible light, almost wishing for her back so he could believe that they weren't true and this recent article clutched in his hands was certainly not helping matters.
"Won-Won and I were right there when Draco asked Minister Shacklebolt when he'd get their copy of the marriage license in the post." Lavender practically purred the words out to Pavarti, their faces matching a lopsided grin, dreamily discussing his ex and her supposed current activities.
"Malfoy didn't…" Ron started bitterly, shrinking his eyes back to the article at Lavender's scolding look for calling a bluff on her words. He'd heard the minister say something about a license in the mail but he'd prayed he'd heard the whole Mrs. Malfoy thing incorrectly. Hermione could never do that, right? Ron had a horrible feeling that Draco was out to get her when he'd broken and fractured half of his face but even Ron would have never thought that Malfoy was out to marry her. Hermione would never have done something so stupid as to marry Malfoy just to hurt him like…well, like he'd hurt her. Ron lowered his head with that residual thought crashing behind his eyes, listening to Pavarti gossip so freely about the supposed new nuptials, his eyes lost on the words burning back to him.
"What's the verdict?"
"You were right there, Draco. You heard him …we're married. That's pretty much that."
Hermione had a rather quick pace in her heels, trying to make her way quickly up to the office that she was so used to Dumbledore residing in to face her parents with a sudden desire but Draco spun on his heel rather quickly at her comment. Long, nimble fingers shot out to clasp hold of her biceps, halting her in her steps as he leaned his face down against her, "I comprehended that part, freckles. I meant with you…"
There was a sad sigh that parted Hermione lips, the overwhelming day already proving far too exhausting for her as she lifted her dark eyes up to the crystal blue of his own while she admitted truthfully, "I'm scared beyond words right now, Malfoy. Terrified really…my parents will never forgive me for getting married without them. I've already put them through enough and I just robbed them in what was supposed to be the hugest moment in my life separate from child birth."
"Wow, you've given your wedding a lot of thought, Granger."
He never took his hand from hers but he tossed his head back a bit none the less as Hermione added crossly, "I'm a girl, Malfoy. Of course I have!" Her lashes fluttered down low to shield her true thoughts away from him, her body sliding from the nearness of his own as she pulled her fingers from their entwinement with his, "I just ruined everything that I've ever wanted and I can't even remember why I did it."
Slowly, Draco motioned his path back around to face her, sliding his fingers up to brush over to fall of her cheek while he neared her. "They're your parents…if you're happy then they'll be happy. I mean, in all the years I've known you, Weasel is the only thing that you have done and continued to repeat that has disappointed me so I'm pretty sure that there is not much you could do to disappoint your parents."
"Is it natural to want to kick your husband all the time?" She wasn't really asking him a question but she certainly wasn't doing a very good job showing him that she had it in her to convince anyone, especially himself, that she was happy in the least at the moment.
"For anyone else? No. For the Malfoy's? Absolutely." Hermione relaxed her face into the touch of Draco's palm as it slid against her soft flesh, bending his head down to softly capture her lips with his own in a slow, precise kiss. For a small moment, Hermione let herself melt against his touch, allowing her mouth to let his strength feed into her while he lowly let his fingers stroke her jaw line but she slid to break the moment and the embrace all at the same time as she maneuvered her body up a step.
"See? Where was the fine print with that one in it?"
With one hand clasping hold of one of the thin brass side rails leading the stairs, his opposite gingerly moved with the effort to grasp hold of Hermione's hand for the second time, smiling back at himself with a bit of satisfaction as she allowed her fingers to be taken captive. Draco made every move to attempt to distract her from all the chaotic thoughts that had been swirling around in her head once again while he moved his body up that single step to join her, breathing the words to whisper down against her with all of the sincerity he could muster, "I'll find a way to make this right to you."
Each step Hermione took up the long narrow staircase had her heart sinking deeper and further into her stomach. Under the careful touch of Draco's hand, they carefully drug their way up to the confrontation she wasn't fully prepared to have.
"Why couldn't we have just gotten drunk and shagged? Why'd we have to get married?" That terrible rhythm beat its pulse in against Hermione's eardrums, turning her head hard up to the man standing tall at her side as she continued to question him, "Why couldn't we have just been satisfied with dealing with people knowing we're dating?"
"That's a lot of whys, freckles."
"Hermione?" Her eyes were already cast up at Draco but they averted quickly up the bend of the staircase at the call of her name.
"Mum?"
"Hermione!" Suddenly all those whys that seemed to have the woman, that he was trying to do nothing more than make happy in a bad situation, forgetting all about her reasons and lighting up like a Christmas tree. Those chocolate orbs of hers pulled wide at the rims, the corners of her mouth involuntarily pulling open as she bolted from her spot and Draco's touch alike to finish the short distance remaining to the former Headmaster Dumbledore's anything but quaint office residing at the top.
"I'm sorry…Draco, is it?" By the time Draco had finished making his way up the stairs, Hermione had already tossed herself into the large room and found her arms clutching tightly around her mother with an equal bonded strength.
"Mr. Granger, I presume?" The fair skinned man pulled his lips back into a soft, rather polite smile as he smoothed his hand out of the pocket of his drab, gray sweater that he had buttoned tightly along his thin frame before extending it to Draco as he continued on, "I'll say, I'm not sure what I was expecting son but I don't believe you're it."
"I know exactly what you mean, Sir…Pleasure to finally meet you, wish it was under different circumstances." Those pristine blue hues darted to the two women still hugging tenderly, lightly stroking each other's faces before he thrust his hand out to give the man a firm shake, motioning out with his opposite. "I trust you've met my mother."
"Yes, yes, we've had the pleasure of discussing this surprising situation together." Mr. Granger shook Draco's hand honestly, his smile genuine as he too moved to embrace his daughter, paying no mind as Narcissa moved to stand from her chair to greet her son but folded back to her chair as he only waved the gesture off dismissively.
Instead, Draco smoothed to close the distance, bending down against his knee in front of the aristocratically seated creature, lifting her hand to softly place his lips to the back of her knuckles as his tone dropped barely above a whisper to the one he'd meant it to, "I trust your trip was well?"
"A trip to see my son is always a trip well spent…is this my daughter in law?" Narcissa had still yet to remove herself from that proper position but she did lift her brows to the happy union of family crowding arms around the young witch who was attempting to shimmy around to face her.
"Yes, mother, you should remember Hermione, formerly, Granger."
"Mrs. Malfoy…" Hermione bit back the turn of her forced smile, trying to motion forward to shake the woman's hand but it seemed Draco adopted the trait for a reason as she too waved off Hermione's attempt, shaking her head only in the slightest as to never jar those perfectly laid platinum white curls of hers.
"No need to be so formal, my dear…" She too forced on a smile, daring her eyes to drift towards her son with a sad shake of her head as she added, "Why didn't you owl sooner, Drake?"
"It didn't exactly go that way, mother, as I'm sure McGonagall told you."
"Mom…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you…I just…"
"'Mione, my dear, whatever are you apologizing for? We're shocked, yes but disappointed? In you? Oh honey, no, never." Hermione's mother began, cupping her daughter's face between her hands as her father added in, "I'm quite excited to be here actually…I believe this is the first time you've done anything that required us to appear on school grounds for conference."
"I am not proud of that, dad."
"Mrs. Malfoy and I just wish we had been able to see you confess your love…" Mrs. Granger attempted to explain softly, trying to hint away from her own sadness at the sight of her daughter's uneasy nature.
"That would be where I come in." Draco rose slowly from his knee, his weight pressing upward as he loamed to turn, standing just off from the distance there in front of his mother, "Hermione's the one who wanted the traditional wedding and I royally fucked that up."
Narcissa was fully motioning with her hand to Mrs. Granger at her son's mention of him being the soul initiator in the messy union, whether she knew his statement to be fake or not, before he insisted on using such language, finding herself leaning forward to swat the back of her hand against his elbow as she scolded him softly. "Draco!"
Hermione had to bite back a smile at the flinch on Draco's face, pressing out a, "Forgive me," before he shrugged off the reprimand, pressing to continue, " I should have waited and done things correctly with the ring and the dress and the vows…Hermione deserves a proper wedding as do all of you."
"Draco, whatever it is you're trying to do, just no." There was a warning finger lifting against him from his new found wife but he could only muster the strength to strain his mixture of lies and truths into a web out at her parents, trying to mend a bit of the pain he'd no doubt caused her now.
"I would like to marry your daughter, Sir. Well…again."
If Hermione could have rationalized breaking any one of the priceless items that were hovering around Dumbledore's former office, she would have but she settled on tossing her hand up with a hard scoff as her dad raised his brows in the confusion, "I don't believe my opinion on that matters since the act is already done, am I wrong, son?"
"We're only married in the wizarding world, Sir, and while we may have different traditions here, I overlooked some very important muggle traditions that were and are incredibly important to Hermione." Draco hadn't felt this nervous sitting next to Voldemort as he breathed that rancid breath of his down against the side of his cheek but he stood before Mr. Granger none the less, gesturing with his hands, unsure of what else to do in order not to make himself appear as foolish as he felt but Hermione's father only made a look of questioning while he cocked his head off to the side.
"Are you in love with my daughter, Draco?"
"I…" the question had literally took Draco a step back, his face mirroring the shock drifting along his bones as he attempted to make his words form together into English. "I'm not sure how to answer that, Sir." Love? That was a bizarre thought but considering the man was asking him if he loved his wife, it didn't seem too out of place. Still, Draco wasn't sure if he could call his dark, brooding obsession over the witch a description for love.
"But you want my permission to marry my daughter…the traditional way? When as I understand it the two of you aren't too sure you'll stay newly nuptial after the year is through?"
Draco's head, eyes, and hands all dropped with a beaten sigh parting way of his lips, "Sir…I care about your daughter more than I've ever had to admit." Hermione let out a hard snort at Draco's attempt to explain his feelings for her, shaking her head desperately at his rash idea that she swore he had just pulled out of his arse before he moved his eyes and words to her instead, "I want to be freaked out right now but I can't because I'm too worried about you being upset…marry me, Hermione. Marry me the muggle way and let me make this right. It's the only thing I can do."
Mrs. Granger had moved the touch of her fingers feather light up against her own heart, gasping silently at the display before her as she found herself drifting back to seat her body back along the front edge of the desk, her eyes alive with sparkles despite the hard look of disbelief that had washed over her own daughters face as she stared the man proposing at her dead locked in her sights.
"How exactly is the two of us signing another marriage license going to fix anything, Malfoy?"
"Because I don't remember…" His voice had started so strong, raising his tone and hand all alike before it dawned on him that they were very much not alone, sighing to numb his irritation while he smoothed his fingers in against the short strands of blonde, "I know you don't love me but you could…if you let yourself." Before Hermione could fit Draco with the answer she didn't have, he moved his sights onto the woman responsible for the witch troubling his life and thoughts so terribly. "I don't deserve your daughter in the least but at least I know that. I will always put her first before all others, I could never harm her like she's been harmed…believe me I've tried." This time it was Narcissa's turn to place her hand over the fluttering in her heart, the warm smile oddly pulling those pastel rose tinted tiers of hers as Draco moved to match his sights onto Mr. Granger, "I'm only asking for your blessing, Sir. I still fully expect her to turn me down."
"I am right here, Draco Malfoy. Stop talking about me like I'm not!"
"Do you see? This is why I wish your blessing but expect nothing. Your daughter is a difficult woman to please." The boy didn't look to be any older than eighteen to Harold Granger but he spoke like a man of thirty, being pulled apart from all angles. Both the young Malfoy and his daughter alike seemed terrified on completely separate levels but it looked to him as thought the young Draco was hell bent to give his daughter some satisfaction here, even if it meant damning himself further. He was trying to give Hermione the wedding she'd always dreamt of even though he was saying he wasn't the man that she'd probably dreamt it to be with.
"Are you high?" Why did he have to do this here? Why did he have to do this in front of her parents and his own mother who were all looking expectantly at her with those romance dripping gazes lulling over their faces.
"What? Fuck, Granger…why do you always think I'm high now? No I'm not…" Draco growled heavily at the back of his throat, narrowing his finger and sight down against her as he firmly continued, "I mean it! The ring, the dress, the daddy giving you away…the asking to marry you! The way you wanted it, the way it should have been."
That drunken night with Draco was still quite a vacant void in her brain but Hermione was pretty sure that this wasn't the way that Draco had convinced her to marry him the first time around what with the hostile heat radiating off his glare. "Yes, well how about the love, hm? How about the fact that I was supposed to be head over heels in love with the man I walked down the aisle with? Or how about remembering it!"
"Why do you think I'm trying to get you to marry me you silly witch! I can't remember what the hell I said that was so dashing that I managed to get the almighty Granger to sign her name to my own or I'd say it right now, believe me. Marry me, Hermione…I can't make you love me but if you just say yes then I'll spend every day of the next three hundred and sixty five days attempting to. One year. It's your choice and I won't put up a fuss if you break it off after."
"Do you understand how fucked up this is?" Hermione found her arms folding loosely over her chest once again; trying to watch as he awkwardly shifted his weight onto either leg.
"Do it for the money, if nothing else."
"Are you kidding me right now!"
"No…there was no prenuptial agreement involved so as it stands, upon our divorce, half of everything I own is yours…which is nothing to kid about. I mean, it's an obscene amount of cash just to say you'll marry me for a year."
"I hate you so much right now for even suggesting that…"
"Is that true?" Mrs. Granger asked her husband but his face offered little answers as he shrugged to her, his hands held upright as he turned his attention to Mrs. Malfoy.
"We come from a wealthy family," Narcissa offered far too proudly, her posture tightening up as she smiled brightly to the both of them.
"I am not suggesting anything regarding your want for my money, freckles; I am simply informing you of the present situation. If you agree to marry me, again, then you can ensure you have either side of my assets covered." Draco dryly cocked his brows and maneuvered his head around to acknowledge the shocked expression of either of the Granger's as he corrected his mother's statement, "I am a very wealthy man."
Leave it to Draco to make marriage into a business proposal. "You have muggle accounts? Never mind, I don't give a fuck about it so why are you even saying it?"
"I have dozens spread out here and there and I don't know! Maybe because I'm willing to say anything right about now to just get you to say yes!"
"Draco Malfoy!" Hermione shouted, unable to think of a better response in the heat of the moment.
"Hermione Malfoy!" Draco mimicked back, angling his body to match her own childishly.
"Draco, my boy…" Hermione gave her foot a hard stomp at his joke, her fists wadded tightly down at her sides as she stared hard against his futile attempts before her mother's soft voice stole their raving attention towards her resting position. "I think you love my daughter very much." The room fell silent, a heavy quiet wave crashing along the room and causing no commotion while she continued with full attention from her audience. "You already put my daughter first; it seems, willing to set her up financially for life all for the chance of her love. It's all quite romantic."
"Mum!"
"I'm not finished, dear." Mrs. Granger spoke so calmly, so sweetly in a way only a mother could as she softened her stare and smile alike down onto Draco while she motioned a finger out to her daughter's quick mouth. "As much as I wish I had been present, I'm afraid this gesture is unnecessary. If the two of you truly wish to give us a ceremony, then there is no need to sign a new marriage agreement just because you can't terminate the old one."
"It's not the same…" Both Mrs. Malfoy and Hermione mumbled the words into the air, the two of them turning their head simultaneously to meet each other at the coincidence. Narcissa lifted her pale brows up, unable to stop the satisfied, and terribly amused, grin that had parted her pale painted lips wide.
"Everyone already knows, or will by the end of this night that we're married and I can't make up for that to Hermione or I would so this is the next best thing I can do is give her everything I should have in the first place." Draco turned against Hermione, his face softening as he offered out a thought to her, "Think about it, freckles. I can't give you your first wedding back and make it all the way it should have been but I can give you your first muggle wedding…and not fuck it up, I think." The words weren't ringing too well in his ears, finding himself sighing out at his own poor choice at trying to win her over before he added to her, "You don't have to answer me now, I mean I haven't even put a ring on your finger. I'm just asking you to think about it."
"Hey!" Draco flinched back, his steps faltering to stop as he rocked on his heels at the hard swat of Hermione's hand impacting against his chest, "What the hell?"
"Do you always get what you want, Malfoy?" She didn't look as truly angry with him as she had when he'd initially asked her father to marry her a few moments before but she didn't look much happier with the whole idea as she situated her Head badge against the sharp black of her school robes, shuffling down the hall in a heightened pace towards the Great Hall.
"Are you saying yes?"
"No I'm not saying yes! Gods…"
The first time Ron had kissed Lavender, while being with Hermione, he felt rather excited from the forbiddingness of it all but the more intense the relationship became, Ron felt himself becoming more and more tired of the life he had. One moment, he was seeing Hermione is this awestruck light and the next she was replaced with the blonde now desperately clutching at his side. At first he told himself it was because everything was reversed with Lavender. With her, he was the smart one, he was the strong one, and now he was the one who was constantly annoyed and pushing off her drooling advances that never seemed to cease but slowly, Ron became more and more spiteful that he was lying to himself in his relationship with Hermione, doing what he was. Still, knowing that he couldn't stop the grass is greener thoughts from protruding in his skull; Ron had begun doing the only thing that he thought that he could.
They always argued as it was, even before they'd began dating but the fights were becoming more and more heated anytime he dared attempted to spend time with his actual girlfriend so eventually Ron just stopped. He stopped trying to come home and lie, he stopped lashing out on Hermione with false accusations because he felt guilty, and he stopped trying to deny the truth of what he thought was the best decision he could make. Ron had no intention of Hermione walking in on him that night but at the time, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now, well, now he just wanted to hide beneath a rock. Fuck the weight of the stones.
What had he done?
Hell hath no fury like a woman scored.
His own sister snarled those words at him during dinner last night when he walked in with Lavender whining empathically for a kiss, lavishly draped over his arm. He'd expected to find everything he'd ever given Hermione aflame in his yard, he'd expected her to tell everyone what a monster he'd been to her, and he'd truly expected her murder the woman he'd replaced her with that night the riot went down outside his bedroom door from the way his own flesh and blood was treating him from the incident, not to mention his best friend, but dating Malfoy? No, strike that. Marrying Malfoy? This wasn't right.
"Hermione?" Draco's lips were pressed hard into a smile, his hand smoothed around her back, pulling her in against his side as they neared the hall. "How about now?"
"Can we just get through tonight? Please?" Her voiced pleaded, trying not to find the comfort emitted back from his arm so strongly holding her in against him as they moved towards the undeniably huge, open doors of the hall, the chatter still in full swing as they approached swiftly. It was funny, Hermione had dreaded this moment for a long time, walking through the double story, double width doors that had lead to one of the darkest battles Hermione ever had the displeasure of remembering but here she stood, closing in on them and the only thing she could think of was the stares that would be gaping back inside.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop, but only for tonight." The dark shadow against Draco's chin was tipped up far above properly, smirking that arrogant smirk of his as he reminded her without need, "We do have families to notify if there are plans to be made, remember? Did you see my mother's face when I started talking about a wedding dress by the way?" Draco added the last part to her completely off the record of the argument, drawing his mouth back as he mocked a scared face, "I was truly worried for you for a moment."
"Oh my Merlin, Won-won look!" Hermione's face was scrunched up against Draco rather severely from his words as he mocked to seal them with a rather sloppy kiss when the horrible nickname, that no one could forget was associated with Ronald Weasley, sharply sounded into the air just as Draco and Hermione attempted to smooth into the back of the hall undetected rather unsuccessfully.
"Fuck me…" Ron wasn't fully aware of his body drifting upright from his seat, the article falling flat over his plate as he pressed his palms down into the table at the sight of Hermione pressed up along Malfoy's all too smiling body but he was fully aware of his voice as he questioned her existence to truly be her own, "Hermione?"
Draco's smooth steps had just barely made it around the back of the Gryffindor table, the commotion leaving an almost inaudible groan parting his lips as the all too familiar red head stood up in wide eyed bewilderment. There was a very vivid jolt that shot through Hermione's body at the sight of Ronald Weasley stepping out from the bench as he shrugged off his new girlfriend's grasping hand with his mouth slack, trying not to leap at the sight of Draco with his hands on the short brunette he'd grown so accustomed to putting his own hands on.
"My, Weasley…how's they face?" Draco waved his own hand in front of his eyes, peering forward at the evidence of bruising still faded in a strange yellow tint around the sallow complexion of Weasley's eye socket.
"Is it true? What everyone's saying?" There was a possessive tightening of Draco's splayed fingers and Hermione couldn't help but let her eyes drift around the hushing silence that was beginning to fill the space around them just as everyone was settling into desert. Slowly, Hermione found the hard contrast of green staring up at her, his body half perched in his seat, just ready to leap out of it at first moment's notice and Hermione suddenly found the will to hold her strength and ground as she sucked it through Harry's support.
"Tell me, what is it everyone is saying, Ronald?" Hermione feigned a look of concern, rolling her eyes harshly at the bewildered hope that lost itself behind Ron's face while he completely ignored Draco's presence. His large eyes were open wide, set dead straight forward on Hermione but she only could offer him a lift scoff of a laugh as she tossed her hands up mildly. What could she say to him? She was still wrapping her mind around what it was that everyone was saying herself.
"You actually married the ferret?"
"Hey now, you actually shacked up with a bimbo so we thought it was only fair." That comment finally had Ron turning his attention, shifting his eyes to glare daggers in against Malfoy's never ending and always offending words, watching him carefully while he stepped fully round to angle to him, leaving Hermione out of the standoff.
"You leave Lav out of this you bloody Death Eater!"
The room was already quiet enough as it was with the students and the professors alike watching and straining to listen intently but now it was deafeningly quiet at the horrible titled being accusingly shouted against someone there in the hall. There was a loud laugh that erupted from Draco's mouth, honestly amused as he retorted back to Ron, "I never said I was referring to your girlfriend, Weasel!"
"Is it true? Tell me it's not!" Ron was beginning to boil and even Hermione could feel it but his face was a bit lost as he squinted his eyes in silent pleading for Hermione to answer him, praying for her to tell him it was all some terrible lie.
"You don't owe this fuck any explanations, love. Come on let's…"
"Don't you fucking call her that, ferret!"Ah, the well known Weasley temper flared upon that strike over the hidden nerve and Hermione found herself flinching a bit back in Draco's arm at Ron's sharp reaction but that didn't seem to settle too well with Draco.
Draco seemed all too less than thrilled as he slowly removed his arm from Hermione, smoothing to angle his shoulder before her and stepping a small space closer towards the nearly shouting red head. "You have no right to show any concern for what it is that she does with her life after what you did," his words were low and venomous, his sights set straight as he hissed them out against him.
"This is utter bullshit." The words breathed heatedly through the clench of Ron's teeth, crossly pressing his word out as he lifted a finger threateningly against Draco, "I don't believe you." That finger smoothed over the crowd, angling it to his own flesh and blood as she folded her arms firmly over her chest, staring at him in disbelief as he questioned her, "Is it true?"
"Don't start this," Was all Ginny managed out before Draco had to go snapping his words and everyone listening back to the trio that had stood to exchange words.
"Believe it, Weasel. We tied the knot last week. Oh, what day was that honey?" Draco's façade was beginning to make her feel like a pawn with the false way he questioned her, all arouse to get beneath Ron's skin but it was unnecessary considering how unnerved he already was with the way he was dripping with concern right in front of his newly shacked up with girlfriend. "I believe it was, oh how did you put it…the happiest day of your life. Oh, yes, wasn't that the same day you two broke up? Remind me what day that was, Weasley, would you? I seem to be having a hard time with my memory lately." Yep, she really wanted to smack him and Hermione was heavily weighing the thought in her brain the entire while she watched him succeed in verbally lashing the man she was sure he still wanted to physically pummel.
"How could you have married, Malfoy? On the day we broke up?" There was a loud, very verbal gasp emitted through the hall, the first years desperately trying to understand what all the soap opera drama was about that had everyone so damn glued on the display.
"You should have broken up with me a year ago, Ronald. You know, the same day you started shagging Lavender." Hermione moved aside from Draco's protectively blocking view, her hands daftly along her hips as she raised her face fully to him, sneering lowly at the second wave of gasps sounding astounded at her revelation.
"I deserve that, I do…"
"Won-won?" The pet name that sleazy slag insisted on calling Ron sent a rather harsh shiver through Hermione's body, finding her teeth biting down in a hard hold to keep her from hexing the woman until she could only speak in slurs and gibberish like she spoke most of the time anyways.
"Yes, Ronald Weasley, among many other things."
"You and your little dog too."
"Shut it, Draco."
"Yes, shut your stupid mouth, ferret!" Ron snapped, his face growing a few shades in a radiating red at his temping just daring to fume up.
"Don't you tell my husband to shut up, Ronald Weasley!" It was with a sudden fury that Hermione set her tone sharply against the red head before her, raising her finger to point hard out at him with a fierce shake. "What you did…" There was nearly a whimpered sigh that threatened to fall from Hermione's lips but she bit it back as she lifted a waggling digit to point at Ron fully, "You deserve nothing from me."
"Congratulations you two!" Lavender interjected in her sweetest tone, moving forward from the seat, practically falling over herself to lace her arms tightly around Ron's bicep all in one clumsy motion. She looked so downright bewitched as she swooned up at him, completely oblivious to the glum, downcast pinch to his mouth as he awkwardly tried to question his ex.
"Yes, it must feel nice to know that the woman you fucked over is off the market so you don't have to worry about your boyfriend realizing what he missed out on, isn't it?" The look on Lavender's face, just so wild and giddy a moment before, dropped in a matter of seconds like Draco had literally smacked her in the face. Lavender actually let out a whimper from the sting of his words, stumbling back a step when he leaned his face forward a miniscule to warn her, "Won't stop him from second guessing though, will it?"
Potter climbed out of his seat with much haste, his head turning to Hagrid as his large form began to make his way up but found himself plumping back rather ungracefully at Harry's departure to the scene. For a moment, everyone had been held hostage by their own gossiping thoughts, prying into their lives while they were on display before them but it was beginning to become a bit out of hand and it was better Potter respond before they all get another firm tongue lashing from the already distempered McGonagall.
"What do you care, Ronald? I mean, really. You moved on with Lavender," Hermione forced herself not to refer to the woman who was already looking like she was ready to burst into tears as she clutched onto the youngest male Weasley, trying desperately to be the sole being grasping his attention, as a downright home wrecking slut as she continued, "And now I've moved on."
"You heard her, Weasel."
"You can't mean that. I mean…not that you've moved on but…" No, honestly Ron did not believe that it was possible she could move on, that was an utter lie. He was shocked to the core that she could even let another man near her let alone the way Malfoy was buddying up to her every time he saw the two of them plastered in the paper recently. Up until the moment that Ron turned to see Hermione's face fall watching him shad Lavender in his bed, he'd never doubted that she was one hundred percent in love with him and now she stood there like it all meant nothing. It just wasn't Hermione. "You don't have to date Malfoy just to get back at me."
It was Hermione that laughed outright at that comment, shaking her head at the silliness that was dripping from Ron's mouth before she firmly answered back to his accusation, "I am not dating Malfoy, I married him, and you are certainly not important enough to do either of those things to get back at you Ronald Weasley."
Draco was none to unaware at the slowly approaching Potter but he was far too focused on keeping his attention from wavering from the short tempered moron hovering dangerously close to the witch at his side. A small jolt flared up the muscles of Draco's arm when he felt the cool sensation of a hard substance being enclosed softly and swiftly into his hand, tilting his head only in the slightest as Potter cooly offered out to Hermione, "Hey, we saved you a plate. Come on, bullocks to all this." Always the voice of reason, Harry Potter swooped in to politely attempt to escort Hermione over to the place Draco had intended to get her in the first place before their friend decided to interject but Draco paid it no mind as he lowered his hands into his pocket.
For one small moment, Draco's hard sapphire hues slid against Harry's, slowly lowering his head to nod his gratitude at the vile he fingered inside the depths of his robes, nodding once again as Harry raised his brows in expectation that Draco hold true to everything that he promised.
"Of course, Saint Potter to the rescue," Ron bitterly spat at the back of Harry's head.
"Ronald Weasley you will not talk to him that way!" Ginerva Weasley's voice boomed through the hall louder then she'd even intended but it certainly got the point out loud and clear. Alright, maybe a bit too loudly because just as Ginny was fully ready to offer herself a smug smile of satisfaction for her motherly adopted trait, there was a loud bang of its own sounding at the head of the room as McGonagall jerked upright from her seat.
"That is 10 points from Gryffindor! This is not the Quidditch Pitch, Miss. Weasley!"
Tada! Chapter 11!
I wanted to give a chance to show everyone kind of have their mixed feelings about the situation so I hope it isn't too choppy.
Draco really hasn't had the opportunity to have a freak out yet about everything because he's trying to 'be a man' but he will when it's appropriate, I promise. It's only natural.
More Narcissa and the Grangers to come! And yes, I realize I made up names for both of Hermione's parent's but they just don't exist. I've looked everywhere. I decided to name Mrs. Granger after Hermione's middle name and chose Harold for Mr. Granger for no other reason than I thought sounded good and it started with an H.
Stay tuned for Snape's potion, Hermione's answer, and much more Hogwarts fun!
So what'd you guys think? Hope you enjoyed! XOXO
