Chapter 5

Hermione spent the next few days researching. She didn't really see anyone other than at breakfast and dinner. Everyone pretty much ignored her, which was fine by her. She wondered repeatedly whether she should try to approach Harry, but knew it would get really messy. He would not believe her and she wasn't sure that she could convince him that it was really her and not Astoria trying to deceive him with stolen memories.

She did feel really sorry for Astoria, being in this situation. Draco obviously didn't pay her any attention and her family was just atrocious. It just made her sick thinking about pureblood and their ways. What made it worse was that there was a party on tonight at the Flints'. She tried to excuse herself, but it was obviously out of the question. Another dress up, boring party. Is that all they did with their lives?

Hermione hated dressing up, she let Red choose her robes, do her hair. She even let the tiny elf put on a little bit of make up as it seemed to get really agitated when she refused. As per usual, they were waiting for her downstairs. Narcissa gave her a dirty look again even though she was right on the agreed time. These people just couldn't wait to get to a party, she thought bitterly to herself as she grabbed Malfoy's arm.

Again, Draco seemed to come alive at the party. She had seen it before, but she was amazed how funny and charming he could be when he tried. The party was a boring blur. Hermione smiled and nodded in the right places. She spent most of the night wondering what the alternative would be, what the fall out would be if she refused to go.

Draco hardly spoke to her and then he excused himself for a while as he needed to speak to a group of men. Hermione wandered, checking out the ancestral Flints on the walls who were obviously excited about the party. The Flints' house was a bit more modern than the Malfoys'. Must have been built in the last 300 years as opposed to the Malfoys' which must have been built in the middle ages if not before.

She decided to seek out the ladies, but was having a bit of trouble finding it. She ended up in some kind of drawing room on her fourth attempt and she practically growled with frustration.

She let out a squeak of shock when someone wound their arms around her from behind. It happened so fast, she didn't have time to react as the hands moved up and cupped her breasts. Sorry Astoria's breasts. Someone was kissing her neck and grinding themselves into her backside.

Her immediate thought that maybe Draco had some bizarre amorous habits at other peoples houses, but as she forcefully shimmied out of the restraining arms she saw that it wasn't him. It was Theo Nott. And her shock gave him the chance to draw her close again. Now they were face to face.

"Come on, baby." He said in a low husky voice. "I've missed you like crazy."

What? No, yuck.

"Let go of me, Nott." She said.

"What's the matter?" He asked with obvious confusion.

"What are you doing?" Hermione continued, trying to get a grapple of the situation. Was this normal? Was she being attacked or was this supposed to happen?

"What is wrong with you?"

"I am married." She said. It was the line she used whenever some stranger got the wrong idea.

Theo gave her a look like she was mad.

"Don't touch me." Hermione said and walked off. She wouldn't quite turn her back on him as she left the room. Nott was still watching her like she had lost her mind.

Hermione ran back to where people were, she really needed a toilet, but she didn't want to risk being on her own again. She felt a bit nauseous as she realised that Astoria and Theo Nott were lovers. Although on second through, she didn't care. A lit bit torn between feeling sorry for Draco and thinking it was just what he deserved.

Astoria was doing the dirty on him. The part of her whose nemeses was Draco Malfoy couldn't have been happier, but the grown up part thought it was kind of juvenile to wish him harm, it made her no better than him. Alright, she would indulge her juvenile side for a moment as she indulged in a moment of joy at his misfortune.

The nemeses then turned up next to her.

"I don't like it when you wonder off." He said and his hand was right on the small of her back again, where he constantly kept it.

"I had to go to the toilet." She said. So he didn't like it when she wondered off, huh. Maybe he had an idea of what Astoria did when she wondered off. Now she felt bad for indulging in her juvenile sentiments.

He had been looking for her. She wondered if he would have gone looking for her in the other rooms. She guessed it was possibility that he had found Astoria and Nott in some similar situation in the past. So far, she'd never really known him to seek Astoria out in any other capacity.

He wasn't happy. She could see the muscles in his jaw clenching, but eventually it was replaced with the show as he charmed someone or other.

She kind of felt bad for him, having such a bad marriage. Her relationship with Ron had ended badly and it was misery. Draco was stuck in this marriage. Divorce was not an option for him. He, like most purebloods would suffer through their marriages until one of them died. Which did result in there being a higher than normal occurrence of spousal murders in the pureblood society. Azkaban held a few people who preferred its cold peace over their spouses aggravating company.

She'd never quite realised that anything could go seriously wrong in Malfoy's life. He always had everything handed to him, everything was fixed with money or influence. But he lived in this stifling society, with a marriage that was obviously barely functioning.

She had hated being alone in her tiny little apartment and dead end job, if she would ever acknowledge it, but this was probably worse. She'd still have potential for anything, but he was stuck in this, forever. The juvenile part of her hated that she felt sorry for him.

It made her mind less that she was being dragged along to these events to be his wife-accessory, at least for tonight. She still needed to find some way to fix all this. In the meantime she would try to just tolerate the situation she was in.

She spent the rest of the night watching him. He was tall like Ron, but that is pretty much where the similarities ended. Ron, while it was good, had been a warm snugly blanket. Draco wasn't. She wasn't sure what Draco was, but it wasn't comfort. He was about challenge. He was so keenly observant. He could read any weakness in her, no matter how hard she tried to conceal it. He knew just how to hurt her. Ron hurt her often, but it was never on purpose, he just couldn't read her at all.

It still really hurt that they didn't survive their, her barrenness. It still drained all the joy out of the world whenever she thought about it.

"Try not to look so disappointed." Draco said coldly. Hermione was sure that statement had a double meaning, but she couldn't be bothered getting into it.

"Sorry." She said. "I was a million miles away."

"Is that so." He said dryly.

"I was thinking about Ron Weasley."

He froze slightly. Not a statement he was expecting, she decided.

"Well, the general sense of disappointment is obvious then." He said.

Ok, that was kind of funny in a very wicked way and Hermione suppressed a hint of a smile.

"I forgot, you are under the impression that you are Granger." He said.

"I am Hermione Granger." She stated.

"Did you ever meet her?" Draco said. "Nothing about you is like Granger. You should have chosen someone a little more credible, Astoria."

"Credible?" She said. "What do you mean credible?" In what way was she not credible in Draco Malfoy's eyes.

He ignored her. Her time of feeling sorry for Malfoy was definitely over. Effin arsehole.

Luckily the evening was over and Draco left her as soon as he had apparated her back to the mansion. Obviously the evening wasn't over for him.

Hermione didn't see him the next morning, which was just fine. She was still stinging from the 'not credible' statement, whatever that meant.

But they didn't speak again for the next few days. Good, she thought.

Then he entered her room one night.

"Don't you knock?" She stated annoyed. She could have been in the shower or something.

He didn't answer, but walked across the room with a drink in his hand. He put it down on a dress and began to undo his cufflinks. Hermione had no idea what was going on, but gasped when he started on the buttons of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" She snapped. He turned to look at her.

"Its time."

"Time?"

"You're ovulating."

She gasped. He was..he was expecting... Hell no!

"No way." She said, but he continued to pull his shirt out of his pants. "Absolutely not!"

"This is your one and only duty, Astoria."

"I'm not Astoria." She said. "I'm not your wife. I'm Hermione. This is completely out of the question."

"You can call yourself the Queen of Sheeba for all I care, Astoria. The only thing you need to do in life is to produce an heir, it is your duty, like it is every month."

Hermione was completely panicking. This could absolutely not happen. She looked for an exit.

"Don't make this difficult, Astoria." He said and locked the door with his wand.

What, was he going to force her, she thought. Hermione felt adrenalin coursing through her, making her shaky.

"But I have a concussion." She said, grappling for straws, wondering if she could climb out the window. Her wand was in the bathroom, damn it, she thought to herself. "The doctor said, I need to take it easy."

Draco was looking at her with suspicion.

"I can't be shaken about." She said trying to make a logical argument while in full panic. "Otherwise this damage might get worse or be permanent. And then you might get stuck with a wife who thinks she is Hermione Granger forever."

He watched her for a while.

"Fine." He said. "But only thing month, Astoria. I won't tolerate you trying to weasel your way out. I am serious Astoria, you made your bed, now you have to sleep in it. Literally."

He strode out of the room and Hermione shook like a leaf. More from the adrenalin than actual fear. She wasn't afraid of him, as if, more like disgusted. This was a consequence of her predicament she hadn't actually realised. She was his god damned wife, and he had certain rights. Rights he could demand, through court order if required. Crap, crap, crap.

She had to resort to having a drink of her own just to calm her nerves down. She would not be able to sleep tonight. He said this month. So that meant she had until next time she was ovulating. She couldn't believe he kept track of her ovulation schedule. Ron never did that.

She wondered if Draco and Astoria only did it once a month when she was ovulating. No wonder they weren't getting anywhere. Didn't they know they needed to do it much more than that. Hermione knew all the tricks to increasing the chance of getting pregnant, and if you were having difficulty, like most purebloods were by the way, you pretty much had to be constantly drenched in ... it. Ideally with the assistance of the female orgasm. Didn't they know anything.

Obviously, they couldn't stand each other, so they could only bare it once a month.

Hermione hit the books, she had one month to get this all sorted.