Adam was adamant about it. "If she does not love him, I will not let it happen. She shouldn't be forced into it, Lucius. We both know they are both against it. Draco was fine with it being Lauren. As I said Saturday, she was not told from the early age Lauren was about this. She did have a life before this."
"Fine. But if she does love him, or comes to in later years, she is to marry him. That is final."
"Any other terms?"
"If anything intimate happens between them, they also have to wed."
"Considering Draco's reputation, isn't that unfair?"
Lucius shrugged. "She's resisted him so far, has she not?"
"I suppose so." He sighed. "I would love to see them together as well, but… Hermione was always against it."
"Draco was too, when he heard who it was. It seems they had quite a history."
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Adam called.
Hermione and Draco slipped in. "We figured you'd want to talk to us," Draco said.
"Yes," his father told him. He relayed the conditions to them.
"How intimate?" Draco asked.
Lucius raised his eyebrows. "What should it matter? If you two have…"
"No!" Hermione spoke sharply. She softened her tone. "I am not that kind of girl, I can assure you, sir."
"Father, she is not like any girl I've ever dated, I swear. I have not mistreated her like that. She is a family friend to me. Nothing more," he lied. He remained silent that he was attracted to her. And that they had shared a couple of amazing kisses. She didn't want to marry him. He didn't feel like getting tied down himself either.
"Draco is still the boy who called me names all through school. I've forgiven him, but first impressions are hard to erase, Mr. Malfoy." And the boy I punched. And the man I kissed in two rooms in three days. And have seen half-naked more than once. She had a lot of impressions of him, obviously.
A/N: Shorty short-short chapter, huh? Oh well. We've had long ones. We're going to have long ones. Variety is the spice of life. And I'm rambling.