Disclaimer: See Prologue!

Thank you to all of my readers, I really hope you like this...it's a particularly long chapter that almost put the update on Coyote Ugly on hold. Do not fret, though! Coyote Ugly's update is up and running! Even though I left my disc at school for the entire weekend. Bad Allison...no horseback riding.

If I make a few mentions to horses in my next few updates, it's because my lovely baby, Fawn, is expecting a foal any day now. As in, she was Due on the Seventh and it's now the Ninth.

A special thanks to:

Forever-a-Wanderer- I'm sorry I can't get Raven in there as much as you'd like. She's a favorite of mine, too. I'll do my best to get the story of Raven and her whole line posted, but you'll have to be patient. I'm working on three stories now. Two that I'm posting on regularly and one that I'm going to post all at once.

Silvestar- Yes, well, it stands to reason that she's changed...after all, she's cussing at Draco regularly in a raised voice. Not going to change much, is it? As for Draco's show of emotion- he's seventeen. Seventeen year olds slip...I know that from experience. And I'm not sure what you mean on the last part. The older families hit first? No...the law is that purebloods must marry muggleborns, more or less...or second generation witches- witches that have only been pure for a generation. Or even Half-Bloods. Diversitizing bloodlines and all of that. The plan is, in the long run, for Voldemort's followers to present their spouses as sacrifices before they get their marks...to rid the world of as many mudbloods as possible.

Caliko- Lol! I know how that goes. Lucky Me, I haven't had to deal with a hubby for a while...though I do miss having one sometimes.

WiccaWitch- As I said in an earlier chapter...this was something I put together from long years of reading the fics of other people on the site. It's like a collage of ideas that I've read and put together from my own imagination...other fics, RPGs that I've participated in, that sort of thing.

Serlene- I'm glad you like it. They do tend to scream quite a lot, don't they? Well, that'll start getting better...I promise.

Sesshomaru-is-my-master- Glad you love it, as always...it's always nice not to have to explain my motives in long, drawn-out answers to reviews. Don't get me wrong guys, I love answering your reviews, and it's fun...it just tends to be a bit time consuming.

Chapter 5

Hermione climbed out of bed and yawned, stretching. It was eight in the morning, so she fully expected Malfoy to be out of the bathroom by then. They had argued long and heatedly the morning before, before they came to a sort of compromise. He would be out of the bathroom before she got up, and he could do whatever else he needed to do as soon as she got back out, which was shortly after she dressed on most mornings. Since Malfoy woke up at around Seven on the weekends, Hermione expected him to honor the agreement.

When the door was locked, she cursed under her breath before shouting. "MALFOY!"

Draco spun away from his father and muttered 'Silencio' at the door.

"IF YOU'RE NOT OUT OF THERE IN TEN MINUTES I'M GOING TO BUST IN!" Hermione shouted, storming back downstairs. They had conned Natasha into adding a Kitchen the day before so that they didn't have to travel to the Great Hall for meals- they had found out that the volatile painting was in charge of what was or wasn't in the rooms that she warded. Hermione grabbed a couple of slices of bread and popped them into the toaster. When they came out, she put grape jelly on her toast and began eating and thinking. By the time she was done, she'd given Malfoy nearly an hour, so she grabbed her things and climbed the stairs. As she took a deep breath to yell a warning, the silencio spell wore off and she heard a dark voice.

"Crucio!" Screams filled the air, torn from Draco's throat violently.

Hermione stared at the door in horror, dropping her clothes. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she lifted her wand. "BOMBARDO!" The door shattered inwards and the men inside looked up, raising their own wands. "Expelliarmus! Accio Wands!" Those who had lost their wands when she'd cried the disarming spell cried out. "STUPEFY!" She shouted, pointing her wand. "Accio Wand! Petrificus Totalus! Accio Wand!" When all of the Death Eaters had fallen, Hermione glared at them all, her eyes picking out a familiar blond...not the one at her feet. "Mobilicorpus!" One by one, the bodies rose upwards. "VANICIMO!" They all disappeared and she sighed, walking over and kneeling beside Draco.

"You okay?" She asked, softly.

"I'm FINE!" He snarled, weakly shoving at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop?" She whispered several spells, holding him down gently. "Well...there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. I suggest you go take a long nap, though. When you wake up you'll be sore, so...soak in the tub and if you'd like I can get you a potion to help."

"How did they get in here?" He looked around, as if he were lost. "We're supposed to be protected."

"Oh great. Now you're going into shock." Hermione muttered. "Come on..." She hoisted him upwards until he was standing, leaning on her fairly heavily, but standing. Helping him down the stairs to his room, she helped him into his luxurious bed, covering him up and settling him into bed before she hurried off once more. "NATASHA!" She shouted. The woman appeared almost immediately in her Victorian Portrait, scowl in place. "Could you possibly go find Professor Raven Stryke?"

"No."

"Natasha, one of your wards has been attacked by a band of no less than five death eaters. I could always tell Professor Dumbledore that you're losing your touch..."

"I'm going, I'm going! Kids these days...always so pushy..." Natasha muttered as she disappeared from her frame.

Hermione shook her head. "I've been spending too much time around Slytherins." She paced beside the doorway until Natasha reappeared in her Victorian Painting.

"She's here." The portrait sniffed hautily.

"Stop being such a prick, Natasha." Hermione said, unlocking and opening the door. The painting slid to the side to reveal a bemused-looking Professor Stryke.

"Miss Granger. Your...lovely...portrait said you needed me?"

"Yes Professor. Come in." Hermione stepped aside, closing and locking the door as soon as Raven was inside. "I called you because I didn't want Professor Dumbledore any more worried than he already is about the war...someone broke in this morning and beat up the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy."

"I see...where is he now?"

"Sleeping. He went into shock shortly after the Death- I mean, the people- left."

Raven gave her an appraising look before swooping into the left-hand room like she owned it. Her eyes darted over Malfoy and one hand lifted, a soft glow coming from her eyes as the bruises slowly faded from Draco's pale form. The Defense Professor then turned back to Hermione. "Where did the attack take place?"

"In the bathroom...up the stairs." Hermione led the way up with the professor close behind her. When Hermione reached what was left of the door, she stepped aside and Raven swooped in, circling the bathroom. Once, twice, thrice she circled, finally stopping in the center and holding up her hands, concentrating. Her eyes suddenly began to glow black and the room was engulfed in that horrible, horrible light before it all disappeared and the professor walked back to Hermione.

"You should be safe from the same type of attack a second time." Raven said. "Just in case, however, I will be sending Ian Stryke and Will Kern up with a portrait for you to hang on the entrance of the bathroom as well as a smaller portrait for the downstairs area. They will ward the entire tower and notify me if anything like this happens again."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said as she walked the professor to the door.

"I take the safety of my students seriously, Hermione. It pisses me off that anyone would compromise that safety." She assured. "I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"Bye..." Hermione said, softly, watching the professor sweep out of the room.

Later, she glanced up from her book in the sitting room to see Malfoy standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up with a sort of pain on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He said, glaring at her before walking up the stairs. Halfway up, she watched him hesitate and glance back...as if to make sure she was still there.

"Malfoy, do you want me to check the bathroom for death eaters?" Hermione arched an eyebrow.

"No!" He said, shortly, storming the rest of the way up the stairs. He stopped before the door- Hermione had repaired and replaced it when Professor Stryke had gone- and stared at it for several moments before turning and walking back down the stairs. He stopped beside the sofa, fidgeting, and muttered something quickly.

"What was that?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and looking back up from her book.

"I said...couldyoupleasecheckthebathroom?"

"I can't understand a word you're saying." She sighed as realization hit and her brain sorted out the meanings of the words. "You want me to check the bathroom?"

"Please."

"Good lord, you could have just said yes when I asked earlier." Hermione put her marker in her book, picked up her wand, and walked up the stairs, opening the door to the bathroom and walking in, glancing around half-heartedly before walking back down the stairs. "All clear. Besides, Professor Stryke was in here earlier and she sealed it off. It's quite safe."

He looked at her for a moment before walking past her and up the stairs into the bathroom. Hermione listened carefully, but she didn't hear it lock, so she snorted softly and went back to her book. When Draco came back out, he was holding his cloak...and he walked right past her without a word and out. Twenty minutes later, he was back with Pansy Parkinson wrapped around him.

"Don't forget to use protection." Hermione said mildly as she put her book away and picked up her cloak and key, walking to the door.

"Stupid Mudblood...mind your own business like you should have this morning." Malfoy snapped.

"So sorry for actually caring about what happened to you. It won't happen again." She said, coldly. Before she could leave, an owl swooped down the stairs from the bathroom and landed, extending a leg to her. She took the rather thick packet from him and groaned in despair. Marriage Petitions... She sighed and undid her cloak, walking into her room and closing and locking the door, lighting a lamp to begin reviewing the contracts. Several, she disgarded immediately. They were of younger, weaker years than herself and she knew that they would only be in danger if she were to marry them...being Harry's best friend as she was. On that thought, she discarded most of the ones from her own grade as well, as they were not known deatheaters and marrying them would put them in danger. Besides, she wanted the stronger purebloods of her year to marry the weaker muggle borns to protect them from Voldemort.

That left her with...Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zambini, Gregory Goyle Junior, Avery Nott, Marcus Flint, Vincent Crabbe Senior, Rabastian Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and Severus Snape.

"Great!" She raged out loud to herself, pacing the room, ignoring the list. "Nine possible matches...of which five are deatheaters, three are future death eaters, and one's my bloody TEACHER! I'm so screwed..." She sat down and set the contracts from the current Death Eaters aside with looks of loathing. Goyle's contract went soon after, followed by Zambini's. She set the pile of disgards inside of her desk and began carefully reading the remaining two contracts as she walked out of her room to sit on one of the couches in the sitting room..

"Hmm...That's interesting... 'From Sylvester Snape on behalf of my son Severus.' I didn't know Professor Snape's father was still alive..." Hermione said.

"Say what?" She turned as Draco walked into the room with Pansy, moving to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Oh, I'm just narrowing down my choices on this damned marriage law. I'm down to two." She said, never taking her eyes off of the paper. "WHAT? CHILDREN BY THE FIRST YEAR! NOT ABLE TO WORK! OH HELL NO!" She threw the heavy stack of papers- the contract was five pages long- across the room in disgust. Draco watched with amusement as Pansy just arched an eyebrow and spread cream cheese on a bagel. "That just leaves...this one." She snatched up the final contract...considerably shorter in length. She skimmed it, murmuring to herself. "From...on behalf of..." Draco and Pansy both sat down eating as they listened, waiting for a chance to make fun of her. "Heir by your twenty fifth birthday...well, I suppose that's reasonable. At least it's not in the first year...Finish school, work part time only..." She looked up. "Malfoy, your father drives a hard bargain. We're going to have to discuss this part-time only thing...I'm not going to give up the money I could make working just to clean house for you. Maybe after the kids, but before?" She looked back down, ignoring Draco as he choked on the bagel which was suddenly lodged in his throat.

"SAY WHAT!" He yelped.

"Well, you don't really expect me to only work part time, do you?" She asked, mistaking his meaning.

"No, no, no...I mean...what? Me!" He stared at her.

She sighed and began to hand him the contract when another owl swooped in. "Oh for heavens sake! Who is it this time!" She snapped, fed up with reviewing contracts. It didn't go to her, however, it went to Malfoy. He took the letter and read it, turning pale, and then green, and then pale, and then red, and then pale, and then purple. He stayed at purple for several long moments before he looked at Pansy, fury making him clench his fist around the parchment.

"Did you know about this?" He asked with careful control.

"Well, I...um...what are you going to do, Mudblood?" She changed the subject quickly.

"PANSY!" Draco shouted. "DID YOU KNOW THAT MY FATHER WAS PETITIONING FOR HER HAND ON MY BEHALF!"

"Um...Yes?" Pansy cowered.

"AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED TO, OH I DON'T KNOW, INFORM ME ABOUT IT?"

"Malfoy, calm down...she couldn't have stopped it either way. Neither could you." Hermione said. He whirled on her, and she cut him off before he could speak. "It's true. If your father was determined to get me under a Malfoy's thumb, then he would have. Hell...of the contracts that I could even begun to consider, five are deatheaters, three are future death eaters, and one is Professor Snape."

"That's all of the contracts that you've gotten? What about your little 'Save the Mudbloods' work?" Pansy asked.

"I want all of the stronger light-side purebloods to marry to the Muggle Borns that can't handle themselves." Hermione said with a sigh, going back to her reading of the contract."Blah Blah Blah...ooh, I've always wanted to go to France. Wedding Gift, eh? Why Thank you, Draco..." She said mildly. Draco sputtered and snatched the paper from her hands.

"They're giving us the French Manor for a wedding gift!" He yelped.

"Actually." Hermione snatched the contract back. "You're giving it to me as a wedding gift." She skimmed down until she found her place and continued reading. "If I decide to sign. Ooh...French Maids. No House Elves." She arched an eyebrow, looking at Draco. "Your father is really trying to buy my hand for you."

"I need to get drunk." Draco groaned softly.

"Later." Hermione told him. "Hell, I'll even join you. Hmm...a blood bond, wizard marriage- well, can't say I didn't expect that...blah blah blah...A lot of this is bullshit babble worded to make me want to get into your pants." Hermione informed Draco, matter-of-factly.

"What does it say?" Pansy perked up immediately.

"That he's got a twelve-inch dick that's no less than two inches in diameter."

"All Bullshit." Pansy said airily, waving her hand in the air in a gesture of dismissal. "It's only about seven inches and maybe an inch and a half in diameter. Lucius never was good with numbers."

Draco groaned again and hurried to his room to break into his stash of firewhiskey.

"Well, I'll owl Lucius tonight about changing that one part of the contract. If he agrees and sends a new copy, I'll sign it...after I read it over." Hermione said, digging in the desk placed in the corner of the sitting room and beginning to pen a draft of the revised contract. When she was finished, she sanded the ink to dry it, blew the excess off, and whistled for her owl, Riddler. He came quickly, sticking out one leg to allow her to tie the letter to it. "Lucius Malfoy, Riddler...and don't wait for a reply...he can use his own owl...arrogant Prick." She said.

"Night Drakey!" Pansy called into Draco's bedroom. Her only answer was a hiccup from the completely trashed Draco. "Night Granger."

"See you in class, Parkinson." Hermione replied, moving off to her bedroom.

It was obvious, the next afternoon, that their Defense teacher was in an exceedingly bad mood. She stared at the class icily. "Today, we will be working on basic ways to control the energy needed to do wandless magic. You will partner up with your Unity Campaign partners and practice using imagery to manipulate your energy. Depending on each person, the manipulation of said-energy will differ as it suits you." She was interrupted as an owl flew in the open window and to Hermione, bearing an offical Ministry Seal. Professor Stryke's lips thinned and turned white as she ignored the owl with some difficulty and continued, ignoring Hermione as she slid the marriage contract into a folder in her book bag. "Some of you will visualize fire...some water, etc. Practice this until the end of the hour. I expect a two-page report on your findings...what your energy manifests as, etcetera." She turned and stormed into her office, the door slamming so hard that a brick fell out of the wall.

Hermione waited until she was gone before taking out the Marriage Contract and reviewing it. With a sigh, she looked up at Draco, almost sadly. He had never seen her so lifeless, and it almost frightened him. Almost. She dipped her quill in the ink and held it over the paper, hesitating and looking away, towards Harry and Ron. They were both looking at her, ignoring their partners at the look on her face. Will looked over as well, and suddenly the boys knew. Harry and Ron cursed themselves for forgetting that she was a Muggle Born...but she was so good at magic that they forgot, sometimes...

Tears gathered in Hermione's eyes as she turned and signed on the dotted line, handing the contract to Draco, who reviewed it quickly and signed it neatly under her signature. As soon as both signatures were dry, the contract disappeared with a pop.