****I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters…I merely play around with them for my own enjoyment ***
This is my first story, so please bear with me. Feel free to leave suggestions, but go easy on me. I'm definitely not an English major. Reviews are definitely helpful ;)
After a well-rested night with Severus and the Marriage Law filling my dreams, I awoke to a new day. The Ministry owls would be coming any day now. They could be as early as today. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I felt myself getting closer to Severus and hoped that even if the Ministry didn't pair us together, that we would be able to gain a good friendship. He deserves a good friend.
As I opened my portrait to head down to the Great Hall, I was started to find Severus there. "Oh! Good morning, Severus," I stammered.
"Good morning to you as well, Elle. I was just about to ask your portrait to get you for me. Would you care to accompany me to the Great Hall for breakfast?" He smirked.
I smiled widely at him and responded in my best Southern Belle accent, "Why sir, I would be delighted." I could swear I saw him holding back a laugh at that, though he simply lifted a corner of his lips and raised an eyebrow at me. Severus offered his arm to me and I gladly took it as we made our way to the Great Hall.
We made idle chat with those around us during the meal. Each time Severus would be within a few inches of me, it seemed as if my skin was alight in fire, as if electricity was coursing through my body. This man absolutely astounded me.
Conversation throughout the table suddenly stopped as a few Ministry owls flew in. Letters were dropped in front of Harry, Hermione, Parvati, and Draco. Before they had a chance to open their letters and see their fate, Professor McGonagall suggested that we all adjourn to our rooms and give our colleagues some time to themselves.
As I stood, I went over to Hermione and whispered in her ear, "You're welcome to drop by my rooms if you need to talk. I'll be there for you."
She looked up gratefully at me and nodded her agreement. With that, we all departed to our rooms. As I was about to tell Severus that I would see him later, I found him quickly sweeping out of the Great Hall. Well, that was interesting. Wonder what's going on with him? Hope he's alright.
I got back to my rooms and didn't know what to do with myself. I realized I hadn't talked to my parents since we had found out the guidelines of the Marriage Law and figured I should at least send them an owl that I loved and missed them. I found myself restless and unknowing of what to do. I knew my brain wouldn't be able to concentrate on lesson plans so I went to my piano and started sight reading some new music. I've never been that great of a piano player. Singing is really my forte, but sometimes I just needed to get my thoughts out on a piano. It helped. About an hour later, I heard a knock at my portrait.
When I got there, I saw Hermione with red-rimmed eyes. I ushered her in quickly. "Oh hun, what's wrong?"
"How could they possibly think I can marry him? He's horrible! What are they thinking? There's no way we're compatible. It's just not possible. I just don't know what to think anymore. What am I going to do?" It all came out in a jumbled mess.
"Okay calm down. Speak a little slower. Now, who did they pair you with?" I prodded gently.
"Draco Malfoy! What on earth are they thinking? He's the son of a Death Eater! He put me through hell in school. Oh my God, Harry's going to be so mad!" To say she was freaking out would be putting it mildly.
"Breathe, Hermione. Take a deep breath. I hate to sound cliché here, but it's going to be alright. While it may not seem like it at the moment, the Ministry paired you with the best possible choice for you. I know you don't see that now, but you should think about it and give it a chance. Talk to Draco. He seems to have changed from your school days," I reasoned with her.
"No, I know you're right. I'm just really surprised. I knew they wouldn't pair me with Ron, but I'm just honestly surprised to have gotten Malfoy," she sighed.
"I know you are, hun. I'm sure he's pretty surprised too," I said as we heard a knock on my portrait.
I walked over and opened the portrait a bit to see Draco there.
"Hello, Elle. You haven't by chance seen Granger around have you?" he murmured.
"Yeah, hold on a moment Draco. She's here. Come on in," I stepped aside and let him pass. When he found Hermione he just looked at her. It seemed as if he was at a loss for words.
"Alright guys, you need to talk about this and get it figured out. This is neutral territory for you, so I'm going to trust you to talk like civilized human beings and I'm going to leave you here. I'm probably just going to head outside for a bit. Just let me grab a book and I'll be on my way. And I mean it…talk like civilized human beings. I don't want any curses or hexes thrown in my rooms. You break it, you buy it. And if you hurt my piano or guitar, there will be hell to pay." I smiled at them as I grabbed my book and left.
I made my way downstairs and outside. It was a beautiful day outside and I figured I could enjoy the nice weather and read before I went back inside for lunch. I found a nice shaded area under a tree and lost myself in my book for a while.
A couple hours later and my stomach told me that it was time for lunch. I walked into the Great Hall to see Hermione sitting by Draco and throwing him shy glances and Draco pointedly ignoring the glares that Harry was shooting at him. If looks could kill, I have no doubt in my mind that Draco would be ashes on the ground with the looks Harry was giving him. Parvati was sitting next to Harry attempting to converse with him and didn't seem to be making much headway.
I took a seat beside Severus. "Hello, Elle."
"Hello, Severus," I answered quietly. I was distracted by the tension emanating between Harry and Draco.
"This could very well prove to be an eventful lunch," Severus stated. The man had a point.
"Agreed. I almost expect to see laser beams to be shot out of Harry's eyes at Draco any moment now," I noted.
Severus let out a small chuckle beside me, "Indeed. I'm not sure Draco knows how to defend against that. Hermione very well could become a widow before she's even wed."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I'm not sure how the Ministry would take that," I joked.
After an amusing lunch, I made my way back to my rooms to make sure there wasn't any damage from Hermione and Draco's talk. Luckily, it seemed as if they were able to refrain from breaking any of my belongings. Thank goodness for that.
I felt a migraine coming on so I walked to the Hospital Wing to ask Madame Pomfrey for a headache potion. I knew from experience that the potion wouldn't completely take my migraine away but would dampen it enough for me to fall asleep and sleep it off.
With my potion in hand, I went back to my room and did just that. The potion was enough to take the edge off my migraine enough for me to get some sleep.
Hello all!
Thanks for reading! Please Review and let me know what you think. I see a lot of hits on my story and would really like to know if you're enjoying it so far. Also, I'm completely open to any suggestions anyone has as to what they would like to see in my story.
nwdani