April 20th
Hermione felt like she was going to throw up. She practically had her head between legs and was nearly gasping for breath. She had never felt so nervous. She had just finished defending her research papers to the peer review committee, not just the committee from Grimoire but there had been Haddlestaff's, Gankerot's, Helsurben's, and her alma mater Phoenix Rising's. Hermione's heart had nearly dropped out the bottom of her stomach when Selburn informed her of their presence after she had arrived.
"You did great, darling." Draco was rubbing her back and she rubbed at her face, trying to focus on not throwing up and breathing. "Selburn says that he had never seen such a passionate and thorough defence. He knows what he's talking about." Hermione nodded as she swallowed back bile. She was seriously going to throw up, her entire body was shaking.
She had been stone cold through the entire defence to the point she had zero clue how she managed it and she was blanking on remembering any of it. This had been her entire dream, going through the peer review to get the approvals and the accreditation she needed for her research to become standard. "I don't remember what I did out there." She glanced at Draco, fully aware she looked like shit. She knew she was sweating profusely and she was pale.
He chuckled and rubbed her back a bit more firmly, bringing his hand up and giving the back of her neck a tender squeeze. "You did amazing, Hermione, that what you did." There was a slightly amused comfort to his voice that she appreciated but had zero clue if it was working through the nerves she felt.
"Yah. I had zero clue what was going on with all the arithmacy you had going on on that board but even I could tell you that you went straight through the needles first try. You're the best out of all of them. You dress far better too." Pansy said it almost smugly and Hermione threw her a shaky smile. The other witch had refused to be left behind after Hermione told everyone the date for her defence of her research at Grimoire. Pansy had straight up said that there was no way she was letting her best friend make her biggest achievement and not be there to see it.
Hermione knew her and Pansy had all that history, they did, but Hermione honestly kind of adored the blunt and rather harsh witch. She knew Pansy had zero cares about what Hermione did for work. She didn't care about any of it but she sat through a nearly two hour defence and Hermione knew it had to do with the fact that Pansy had decided that Hermione was going to be her best friend and did everything to prove that.
"You're one of my best friends, Pans." Hermione watched as Pansy wrinkled her nose.
"You really need to drop Potter. He's such a bore, guy friends are such a bore." She looked at her fingernails but Hermione could see a pleased flush cross her cheeks as she struggled not to smile.
Harry's head went up from his magazine, "Hey, I take offence to that."
"Good, you should, Mr. Cockblock." Pansy threw him a dark look and Draco chuckled again before leaned forward to meet Hermione's gaze.
"How are you doing, darling? Going to pass out on us?" He was teasing her, she knew he was but she honestly still felt like crap.
"I might throw up." She swallowed hard as she said it and Draco gave her neck that same gentle squeeze and her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Why don't you and Pans take a spa day after this? You can go and get pampered and just relax. Pansy can make sure you are well taken care of." He kneaded her neck muscles slightly ad she gave an almost embarrass groan of pleasure/pain at it. "Because you're carrying a lot of tension, darling."
"You will be covering it, I assume." Pansy called it out and Hermione smirked slightly as she allowed herself to relax just that much more.
Draco scoffed, "You have access to your own trust fund, Pansy. I'll pay for my wife but you're on your own."
"Cheapskate." Pansy scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and Hermione's amusement surged up inside her. Pansy did look petulant at that.
"You would drain me of all of my money if I gave you a chance, Pansy. My wife barely asks for anything, so I'll splurge."
That had Hermione tensing slightly, "I can pay." Hermione turned her head to look at him and Draco reached over, covering her mouth with his other hand, his hand squeezing the back of her neck in that way that send a full body shiver through her.
"I will spoil my wife if I wish, Hermione." He raised an eyebrow as he said it, the warning clear. "And she won't complain or I'll do it even worse just to spite her." She knew it wasn't an idle threat, her mind going back to when she argued with him about her allowance and how he continually raised it every time she objected. She smiled underneath his hand, chuckling before she nodded. "Good." He gave a firm nod, a smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth as he let his hand drop from her mouth.
"Yah, I don't get why you object to him spending money on you, Mione. He's rich, take advantage of it." Harry grinned at her over the magazine and she rolled her eyes as she sat up a bit straighter. Draco's hand slid from her neck back down to her mid-back.
"I didn't marry him for his money, Harry." She scoffed slightly and tried not to internally wince. Technically she kinda had but she didn't like to think about it because it made her feel slightly dirty.
"Sure, but money certainly makes it more bearable being married to that white bread I call a friend, doesn't it?" Pansy threw a wink at her and Hermione burst out laughing, unable to stop herself, relaxing even more as she did so.
"I'm hurt, Hermione." Draco tsked slightly as he drew his hand up to squeeze the back of her neck gently. Hermione inhaled sharply as she shivered at the movement, her eyes almost fluttering. "Laughing at me. I expect it from Pansy but I'm wounded, darling." Amusement and teasing threaded through the words and Hermione laughed harder. She knew he wasn't offended and that allowed her to laugh freely.
"It was objectively funny, mate." Harry gestured at him with the magazine and Draco's hand slid down her spine, fingers pressing into her back, digging just slightly into her muscles.
"I know it was but I tend to ignore Pansy's antics because if I don't she won't ever leave me alone." Draco tsked slightly and Hermione stifled the rest of her giggles and sat up a bit straighter. She liked how they were all trying so hard to distract her and she loved how it was working. The anxiety had dulled to a low roar and she no longer felt like she was going to throw up.
Draco went back to slowly rubbing her back. His hand smoothing up her spine and once he hit the peak of the movement, his thumb would brush against the back of her neck before he would drag his hand down once more. She found the action comforting, soothing to her nerves, which part of her was a bit disquieted about. It was moments like that she forgot how they began, how it all began, but Cara's words about how she didn't fall into like with who Draco had been but rather who he was now.
Sure he was still high handed, smug and arrogant, and believed money could fix all problems but he was also kind and thoughtful, he took care of her even when she believed she didn't need it, and he was honest. He never once said something if he didn't mean it or wouldn't follow through with it. He had been a stupid kid, led by his father into a dark, dark path, but the man Draco was now showed that he struggled and persevered to be better than that, to learn from his mistakes.
She knew that was probably a big reason why she loved him as much as she did.
He was trying so hard to be better than what the war had made him, than what his father had dragged him into, and he was succeeding. She could even say he had succeeded in that endeavour. Her mother always told her that people deserved second chances because sometimes, underneath all the bad, their bones were good and from what she had seen, Draco Malfoy had goodness deep inside his bones.
"Hermione." Selburn spoke from the entrance to the waiting room and Hermione shot to her feet, her heart in her throat. "The committees have finished their deliberations." His expression was serious as he walked over. He held out the official bound file of her research paper for her. She took it, the feeling of wanting to puke once again washing over her.
Her hands shook as she swallowed hard and opened the front page of the file, her eyes falling to a new page that had been added to her research. "It has been decided, by the peer review of Grimoire Magical University, that the research here this paper has been not only successfully defended by Hermione Malfoy, alma mater of Phoenix Rising Magical University, but has been proven by our committee and as such will be adopted into magical research and practice as the base standard for magical creation." Hermione's voice trailed off, wobbling hard, and her knees felt weak as she looked at the Grimoire's seal.
She flipped the page, it said the exact same thing and it was a stamped with Haddlestaff's seal. She hastily flipped through the rest, Gankerot's, Helsurben's, and Phoenix Rising's were all there. Every single one of them concluded her research was not only sound but was sound enough to become the very basis in which magic was created. "I don't..." She trailed off, her hands shaking and Selburn grinned at her and handed her the two other research papers.
"Congratulations, Hermione. Your research has been successfully peer reviewed and is the new magical standard. Just as I thought it would be." Selburn's words some how made it real and Hermione burst into tears.
This was an accumulation of her years of research, decades of hopes and dreams, and immeasurable vindication of moments where she doubted herself that were now proven false. She had spent years knowing her research was sound, proving it time and time again, and now she was holding proof of it being resoundly accepted in her hands.
She sat down hard in her chair and cried hard enough she felt like she couldn't breathe because this moment was one she had ached for, for so long and now it was here and she didn't know what to do with herself but cry. There was relief, so much relief, and pride, and sadness, and anger, a lot of anger, but she was so happy too.
A strong arm slowly slid across her shoulders and Draco gently tugged her close. "If you have to cry, darling, cry. But I am so proud of you, you know that?" He said it softly and she covered her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that were escaping as she nodded. "No one deserves this more than you do and even though this is years too late in my opinion, it is something you can be proud of too." He kissed her temple and Hermione allowed herself to lean into him.
This was everything she ever wanted and he was right, she could cry over that. Over the fact that she was vindicated, that she was right, that she wasn't a crazy hack, and that there had been no reason to doubt her at all. She could also cry over the fact that the years she had been blacklisted had been wasted. She had tried so hard and did all she could but it had all been futile, now she had been proven right. She could cry for the fact that years of researching time had been wasted because Bitwither had it out for her.
Draco kissed her temple again, tightening his grip on her bicep as he pulled her a touch closer. He whispered words of encouragement in her ear, telling her he was proud, that her research was amazing, that she deserved all the accolades they could give her. Hermione sniffled, managing to hold back the sobs and she wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry about that." It came out of her croaked and she sniffled again. "It's just a lot, you know?" She smoothed her hand across the cover of the top research paper. "I wanted this for so long-" Her voice cracked and she took a bolstering inhale before she looked up at Selburn. "I just didn't ever think I would get it."
He waved her off slightly, his smile softening. "Don't worry about it. This is a major thing to have accomplished. All three papers were accredited a successfully peer reviewed. Not a lot of people could claim that." His smile widened just a fraction, "If it makes you feel better, Bitwither nearly had a conniption when Phoenix Rising was the first to conclude that your research should be considered the base standard. Your example of using the extension charm is what sealed it for them. His face got so red and he left before it was done after he realized no one was listening to him. The unmitigated, untalented hack." Selburn made a face and Hermione gave a shaky chuckle as she looked down at her research papers. All of them stamped with the wizarding world's most prestigious seals.
She looked over at Draco, giving a shaky smile. "I did it." She sniffled and wiped at her cheeks with her hand and his grey eyes were warm as he nodded and kissed her cheek.
"That you did, darling." The words brushed softly across her cheek and she shivered under them.
"I did it, Harry." She lifted the papers as she looked at her best friend and he winked at her.
"Knew you had it in you."
Pansy got out of her chair, brushing her skirt off needlessly. "I don't know half of the shit you talked about but if they wouldn't have given it to you, I would have thrown unforgivables." She sniffed delicately before beaming at Hermione. "But it pleases me that you are being told you are prestigious. I'm only friends with the best, you know." She practically stuck her nose into the air and Hermione giggled slightly. "Let's celebrate." Pansy picked up her purse and pointed at Draco. "You're covering." With that she flounced towards the door.
Draco shook his head and gave Hermione's arm a firm rub. "She's going to drain my accounts dry." He let her go and stood up before reaching down and grasping her hand, gently tugging her to her feet. "Selburn, why don't you join us?" Draco wrapped an arm around her once she was on her feet and Hermione leaned on him as he grasped her waist with those strong and confident fingers.
"Certainly!" He clapped his hands together, beaming. "I want to get into the way we can work magical theory into your research." He was practically beaming at her and Hermione nodded.
"We can." The world had opened up in front of her and as Draco lead her towards the door, following after Pansy, Hermione glanced up at her husband.
It was strange to think that the person who gave her the key to it was the one person she never would have expected. Draco had given her the keys to the world and she knew she would never have to wonder why she loved him ever again.