Out of Hand II: A Matter of Time by relativelypositive

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 10

"What are you going to do about your mother?" Blaise asked casually, as though the weight of the question were inconsequential.

"She's my mother. She's always been difficult."

"Difficult? You think this behavior is just temperament? Wake up!"

Truthfully, Draco didn't know what to do. His mother was supposedly on her way to Hogwarts for his wedding, and he was terrified she'd do something to spoil it. Not that it was going to be the romantic moment he had been looking forward to, but his mother was deceitful and unpredictable and would make the tense situation worse if she could.

But she was the only person that had shown him real affection for the first fifteen years of his life. She adored him. She went to extraordinary lengths to make sure he was happy. It was only recently that she had shown any displeasure in him or his actions.

But still!

Two days ago she had stepped into a fight with Voldemort to protect her son and one of his oldest friends, Greg. While she hadn't set out to defy the Dark Lord, it meant a lot to Draco that she had stood with him, and inadvertently with Hermione. She had even thrown her hat into the ring of "I may have killed the Dark Lord" when they were debating it.

The next day she had moved the world to try to make Hermione miserable, and it had turned on Draco, too.

Draco had the suspicion that his mother was trying to keep him from falling in love.

Not that love had ever been the goal for his mother. She just wanted Draco to turn into his father. She didn't care that he didn't want to.

Draco had never liked the life that had been planned for him, but he had never before had a reason to give up the parts he did like.

Money was nice. Privilege was nice. Being handsome was nice.

He wanted to punch himself in the face.

What was wrong with him? The only things he liked about his life didn't mean anything.

No, not the only things. He had great friends.

Snape had dosed Hermione and she was going to be asleep for a few hours, so he and Blaise had meandered over to Greg's bed.

After making sure his status hadn't changed, Draco took a seat where he could also keep an eye on Hermione.

Blaise found a mystery glue-like substance and proceeded to style Greg's hair into twenty orange spikes. He turned and gave Draco an "isn't that awesome?" smile, then started shaking his hands vigorously.

"What was that stuff?"

"No idea. Now my hands are a little numb. Is that bad?"

"Only if you want to use them."

"Okay, they're really numb now."

"Maybe you should wash it off."

"Sure. Right. Umm…my fingers aren't moving, either."

"What do you mean, they aren't moving?"

"I mean, see this?" He held up his hands, fingers pointing heavenward, palms toward himself, and scrunched up his nose in concentration. He squeaked a bit in exertion.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm flipping you off!" Blaise screamed with uncharacteristic rage. "When I tell you my fingers aren't moving, arsehole, I mean my fingers aren't moving!"

"Well, I'm sure they'll be fine. Pomfrey wouldn't have anything dangerous in here."

"The fuck she wouldn't!"

Draco studied his best friend. There was a reason they gravitated toward each other. They both had money, prestige, and looks, but Blaise was happy. Maybe not right now, but in general he had a happy life. He was funny, and let his passions rule him. He did things before he thought about the consequences, and rolled with whatever happened.

It was usually with more grace than he was exuding right now.

"What happens when I have to pee?" Blaise asked in equal parts realization and terror.

"Don't think about it."

When Blaise started toward Pomfrey's office, Draco grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Man! What?" Blaise yelled.

"Is it wrong? That I'm marrying Hermione right now?"

"You heard Snape. She's in pain. There are two solutions. One is crazy and life-threatening. The other…well, that's crazy and life-threatening, too, but at least you get sex out of the deal."

"And Hermione."

"Hermione is quite the prize."

"Don't let her hear you say that."

"Yeah, she wouldn't see the compliment. She's a complicated woman. But you are a deeply lucky man."

"I wish I were more like you."

"Of course you do."

Draco smiled.

"Seriously. You're happy, like all the time."

"No, I'm hyper. And I don't take anything seriously. You're quite dour."

"Dour?"

"Dour. You have everything, but you know it's not what you need. You think too much. You plan. You study. You're responsible."

"You say those things like they're bad."

"Those were your good attributes. You're also a bigoted jerk. At least you were until you and Granger happened."

"Hermione," Draco corrected.

Blaise smirked, "Hermione, and a week ago you hated her."

"Hate is such a strong word."

"Yet accurate! You wouldn't go within five feet of her without being mean to her. And it wasn't the 'I think she's cute so I'm going to pull her pigtails' kind of mean. You wouldn't have cared if she'd gotten hurt. You would have laughed and ridiculed her and enjoyed every minute of it."

Draco felt an odd sense of panic.

Everything Blaise said was true!

"I can see the pixies flying in your head. Knock it off."

"I wish I could have your attitude."

"You couldn't handle my attitude."

Draco smiled. "Your hands are blue."

"Fuck!" Blaise took off yelling for Pomfrey.

Dumbledore had warned him that during the ceremony Hermione wouldn't be able to be on any potions or under the influence of any charms. Say what you will about old magic, but it knows what it's doing. Anything that affects a person's faculties repels a marriage bond.

What that meant for this situation was that Hermione was going to have to be quickly weaned off the pain relief potion, the charm was going to be lifted, and she was going to have to concentrate through extreme pain to complete the bonding.

McGonagall had gone to fetch her parents from their tooth place. Whatever that was called. Hermione told him once, but he truly hadn't cared at the moment, since she had been braless and pressed up against him.

He was supposed to be getting Potter and Weasley, as McGonagall insisted Hermione would want them there, but Draco didn't want to leave the room. Anyway, last time he'd seen Weasley the idiot had kissed his fiancé.

He was brought out of his musings by a slender woman poking her head in the door.

He watched her slowly approach Hermione, then look around suspiciously. She startled when she saw Draco gazing back at her.

"Oh! Hello there!" A patently false smile overtook her lips. "Is this Hermione Granger? Harry Potter's best friend?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm a chaperone! Her chaperone, if I'm not mistaken. I was told I was being dismissed back to Aphrodite's, but I was hoping to make her acquaintance. She seems like such a…formidable girl."

Draco thought that an odd thing to say, considering Hermione was currently very pale, thin, and unconscious.

"The media of late has made her a crusader. Even that Skeeter woman has been singing her praises."

"I wouldn't say that. This morning she called her an ugly, common, bald meddler."

"But it was said with such fondness."

"Bullshit. What do you want?"

Draco gave her credit. Her cheek-splitting smile didn't even waver.

"Just to meet the young lady! She is such an inspiration. She saw what she wanted and she went for it!"

"She wrote an ad for the Prophet that pointed out an inequality. That's all she did."

"She spearheaded a movement! Anyway, I wasn't talking about inequality."

"Are you suggesting that she tricked me into this engagement?"

The smile slipped minutely. "You aren't her intended, are you?"

"Don't pretend you don't know who I am. My family is the most photographed in Britain."

"If you're her fiancé, then why are you sitting all the way over there? Not very loving of you, is it? Or is it? Is that young man someone special? Are you settling for a marriage to an…unfortunately-lineaged girl to hide your proclivities?"

Draco was getting the oddest feeling. She suddenly seemed familiar. He prodded his brain for a connection…and realized this woman was much closer to Rita Skeeter than she had let on. She had been with the reporter in the Great Hall when Luna had put the lion headdress on Hermione.

What was she playing at? She had witnessed his and Hermione's first sweet kiss, and she was insinuating that he was gay? What…wait.

Draco leaned forward and grabbed Greg's hand. He squeezed it tightly and silently apologized for what he was about to do.

"Oh, he is special." He leaned forward and kissed the back of Greg's hand.

The woman was looking at them with wonder, as though she'd never seen anything like it. She was so distracted that she didn't see Draco grab his wand and stun her.

Draco let go of Greg's hand, but didn't move. Greg's hand was still locked on his, and his grip was suddenly punishing.

He yelled for Blaise and Pomfrey in a combination of excitement and fear.

"Awww. You miss Greg a lot, don't you? You needed that little gesture. That little touch."

"Fuck you. There's an unconscious woman over by Hermione's bed. Bind her and get Dumbledore. And Greg's got my hand in a death grip!"

"That can't be," Pomfrey insisted. "He's insensate."

"My fingers are going numb!" Draco protested.

"Oh, when it happens to me it's a joke and when it happens to you it's an emergency?" Blaise muttered.

"Just do it."

Everyone held their breath when Greg's eyes snapped open, focused on Draco, and he yelled, "Blood traitor!"

A/N:

The. Flu. Sucks. Also, the website wouldn't let me post for almost 2 weeks!

Sorry about the wait. I'll be back on schedule as soon as I catch up at work!

Thank you to everyone who reads my chapters and thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave me a note: hoshiakari7, KodeV, dracosgirl007, ASJS, Chester99, Hedwig246, and Rachelleislost96.