x x x Contractual Obligations x x x

Hermione felt cold and stiff the next morning when she woke, as if death had come to personally claim her as she slumbered. The stones of the floor were frigid beneath her feet, and she slipped them quickly into her slippers, glancing around the room tiredly. Ginny was still asleep, not surprising since they'd been up half the night talking through everything that had happened. She wished that they had the luxury of staying in bed for just another hour or two, but it was already getting late. Any more rest and they'd miss breakfast completely and run the risk of being late for their first classes of the day.

"Gin, get up," she called out quietly, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Hm?" the barely coherent mumble came from within the mound of blankets and pillows.

"Time to get up or we'll miss breakfast," Hermione prompted her again, this time crossing the room to give the younger witch a little shake.

Ginny sighed, eyes cracking open slowly. "Right, getting up."

"Good," the brunette smirked, rolling her eyes. She laid out a change of clothes and gathered her bathing materials, the idea of a nice warm shower sounding more than heavenly at that moment. The ache in her neck, most likely due to sleeping at a bad angle, was sending little jabs of pain coursing through her neck and shoulders every time she tried to turn her head.

And the last thing she wanted today was another reason to be miserable. She had more than enough reasons as it was, after all. Today brought her one step closer to a marriage she didn't want.

Not to mention facing the reactions of the rest of the school.

She shivered and shut her eyes. No more crying. Not a single tear. This was what was to be, and she had to make the most of it. Things could have been worse, after all. She could have been forced into the marriage with Malfoy!

The shared bathroom was blessedly empty when arrived, letting her know in no uncertain terms that they were even more late getting up than she'd thought. She started the shower, turning the water as hot as she could bear. It pelted against her neck, the tiny droplets massaging as their warmth hit her time and again. It would be so easy to stand there all day, she knew. To just ignore the outside world and everything waiting for her.

But she couldn't.

Another minute passed before she reached back, turning the knob to cut the flow of water. She stood there, dripping; feeling a little more refreshed than she had moments before. It would be okay, she told herself. Wasn't half of her house still on her side, even if the other half seemed to detest everything she stood for? Maybe it would be a little better with the other houses. Except for Slytherin, of course. There was no hope where they were concerned. Her best bet lay in just avoiding them at all costs, if at all possible.

She toweled off and slipped into her day clothes, buttoning her robe over the crisp white shirt and pleated grey skirt. It was the same thing she'd worn every school day for years now, and yet today it just didn't seem to fit. She sighed. It was her that didn't fit now, of course. Not the clothes. Not the school. She could act as if it was all foreign-seeming all she wanted, but that wouldn't change the fact that nothing had changed but –her-.

Ginny was already dressed, though looking still somewhat rumpled, when she came back into the dorm room.

"Ready?"

The red head snorted and rolled her eyes. "Isn't that what I should be asking –you-?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm as ready as I can be, I guess."

And, as much as it was the truth, the sentiment still meant very little. How ready could anyone possibly be for this?

Ginny met her eyes, as if trying to see into her soul to find the truth, and Hermione found herself hoping that her friend would just take her word for it, even if she looked terrified out of her mind. There was nothing either of them could do.

"Alright, then." The sixth year witch finally nodded. "Let's go, then."

She followed behind the other girl, down the stairs to the common room. How different it all looked this morning, without the invisible line of dissension running through it. A brief smile lit her face at the sight of Harry and Ron, sitting patiently waiting for them. Well, Harry was waiting patiently, she amended silently; Ron looked as if he might start eating the upholstery on the chairs if he didn't get to the Great Hall soon.

"Morning," she offered with the best attempt at cheer she could manage.

"Thank Merlin," Ron sighed dramatically, stumbling to his feet. "Thought you two were never coming down."

Hermione felt herself break into a genuine grin at the over-dramatization on Ron's part. They weren't that late, not really. Still plenty of time for breakfast, even for someone with a stomach as cavernous as his.

"You didn't have to wait," Ginny pointed out as they exited the tower, the portrait door swinging shut behind them.

"Yes we did," Harry shook his head, voice soft. "We're not letting you walk in alone."

Hermione caught Harry's eye, the meaning of his words very clear. They wouldn't let her face the school alone. If it was going to be her versus everyone else they would be right there next to her. One for all and all for one, as the saying went. She had thought that it was the unofficial Gryffindor motto, but that had turned out horribly wrong. The house was divided and it was all her fault. Perhaps time would heal the rift.

Or maybe not, she forced herself to admit. Maybe this was one of those things that friends never recovered from. They had all done some great things together throughout the years, but maybe that wasn't enough. It certainly wouldn't be enough to sway the younger students back to her side. She was just a traitor to them, marrying a Slytherin –Professor- instead of the self-appointed god of Slytherin house himself, Draco Malfoy.

"And speak of the devil," she muttered to herself as they turned a corner, coming face to face with said blonde wizard himself.

"What was that?" Ron frowned, hand already creeping towards his robe pocket.

"Nothing," she shook her head, drawing herself up tall. "Get out of our way, Malfoy."

She felt a shiver run up her spine as he raised one perfect eyebrow at her. "Tell me, Granger – do you really think he's going to treat you any better? Have you deluded yourself into thinking he could ever possibly be anything but cruel to a pathetic little mudblood like yourself?"

Hermione's mouth snapped shut so hard she felt her jaw groan in protest.

"Guess she'd rather have a real snake than a ferret," Ron sneered. He took a step forward, effectively shielding her from having to even look at Malfoy any further. It was comical, Ron defending her choice of Snape over Malfoy. At any other time she was sure she would have been laughing, and from the look on Ginny's face, she was thinking the same thing.

"I don't know why my father wanted –her- in the first place," Malfoy smirked, the tone of his voice taunting in a manner that Hermione knew would get Ron to draw his wand. It would be all downhill from there, so to speak. "Smart, yes. Powerful – hardly. Pretty? Not even remotely."

Hermione felt like she'd been slapped, but Ron was once again reaching towards his pocket, and things were about to go from bad to worse. Or something more than worse, from the look on Harry's face. Even Ginny looked like she was about to take a stab at a hex or two. She pushed against Ron until she was once again with sight of Malfoy.

"It should tell you something that I'd rather bed my old, greasy Professor than –you-, Malfoy. And that's all I really have to say." She grabbed hold of Ron's arm, tugging on Ginny's sleeve as she led them back around the corner. There were other ways to get to the Great Hall.

Ways that wouldn't end in dueling.

Well, she hoped, she told herself, as she spotted a group of Ravenclaw girls up ahead. The looks they were throwing her way were anything but friendly.

Cursing her way past Malfoy was looking better and better by the second.

She lifted her chin, trying to look as aloof as possible as she walked past the girls, Harry and the others hurrying to catch up with her quickened strides. But walking fast wasn't enough to get her out of earshot before she heard them. The rumors that she had been warned would happen had already started spreading throughout the school, it seemed. She had slept her way to good grades, apparently not just with Snape, either, to hear tell of it.

A crimson blush spread over her cheeks as she finally got past them, into an empty section of the hallway. She leaned back against the wall, biting her lip to keep from sobbing.

It'll be okay, everyone had told her.

But how would this ever be okay?

"C'mon, 'Mione," Ginny whispered, tugging on her arm. The brunette witch opened her eyes, giving Ginny a frightened look.

"I don't think I can do this."

"You can't quit eating," Ron pointed out with good-natured obliviousness, eliciting a small snort of surprised laughter from Hermione.

"He's right," Harry picked up the thread. "Or sleeping. Or bathing."

"Oh please don't give up bathing," Ginny pleaded dramatically. "I shudder to think what our room would smell like after a week of it."

Hermione giggled. "You guys are silly. Of course I'm not going to give up anything. I just have to face it –right? It can't be that bad."

She didn't miss the look her friends shared, but chose to ignore it. So, alright – it could be that bad. But there was nothing to be done about it. Standing here, near tears, wasn't going to do anything for her.

Pushing off the wall, Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's go to breakfast."

"You sure?" the younger witch questioned, following along with her nevertheless.

"No," Hermione laughed without humor. "But it has to be done anyway. Like you said – I can't just stop eating."

x x x End Part x x x