Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit to J.K Rowling for the creation of the Harry Potter universe. I just found a plot for this ship.

Warning: There is an M rating for a reason. The story will NOT contain rape or sexual violence. Lemons and fluff expected. Basically what you would expect from most romance novels nowadays.
There will also be the use of profanity.

Music speaks to my muse.
This chapters song was: Better, Regina Specter
 Lyric of choice: If I kiss you where it's sore. If I kiss you where it's sore. Will you feel better?

Grammarly is my beta: 7-17

Charmed to You

Chapter 26
Forgiveness

Draco watched as Hermione ate her dinner slowly and sighed; he had put his ring back on today but she had been rather tempered with her moods, right now she seemed reflective but still upset.

"How long do you think you will be upset me?" He asked carefully.

She jerked her eyes up to his and frowned. "That's a tricky question to answer, Draco. I think I will always be upset at you, as you put it, for how little emotion you choose to feel in life."

Draco nodded thinking that was probably the best way to describe the situation. "I do care for you, Hermione. You have to understand that hiding my emotions, denying I have them, it's a bit reflexive for me. It kept me alive. What I feel for you, I don't know that I am ready to fully explore that right now. That I am ready to label it." He wasn't above pleading with her. "Please, just give me a chance to figure this all out. Dean put me on the spot and I snapped at him. It wasn't any of his damn business and I don't like being pushed into a corner. I shouldn't have said that, and I am very sorry you heard me say that. But, there is a part of me that does think loving you makes me vulnerable. I am not justifying that, but it's there. I didn't have the same upbringing as you and the things that happened in the war-" he broke off feeling helpless. "I don't know that I can explain it, but I do care for you, I swear I do."

She jerked a bit and then nodded her face softening. "I know you care for me Draco, and I do understand and appreciate why you are so guarded but that doesn't make it any easier for me to accept. You hurt me, you sounded so cold, so distant, and the idea that you simply were not going to allow yourself to even try, it broke me a bit." She held up her hand as he started to interrupt her. "No, stop, I had time to think about it and you have every right to be conflicted by what is going on between us; we were married very quickly, most couples have time to fall in love, get to know each other, we are really having to learn as we go. I suppose there are going to be obstacles to overcome. And as you said, you did have a good reason to not trust emotions during the war. Showing too much of them could have gotten you killed. In a way what you said was true, emotions made you weak. I shut mine off for periods too, to protect myself. But even knowing all that, it doesn't make it any easier to hear your husband say such a thing."

Draco sighed and then sat back frowning. "So, how do I fix this?"

Hermione looked shocked. "You want to fix this?"

Draco gave an impatient tutt. "You're my wife, Hermione. We will be raising children together. Spending the rest of our lives together." His eyes bore into hers. "Why the bloody hell would you think I don't wish to fix this?"

She looked shocked and then gave him a blazing smile. "I don't know." She said shaking her head and laughing at herself. "I just- well I just assumed."

Draco glared at her. "You shouldn't make assumptions, Hermione. I thought you were smarter than that."

She made a face and then nodded. "You're right, of course, you are right." Then she amazed him because she stood up and walked over to him. "I am sorry, Draco. I used the trip for work to avoid you, I shouldn't have done that."

Draco nodded feeling stiff. "No, you shouldn't have."

She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. "You're right, I shouldn't have. Please forgive me for running off and not talking to you."

Draco wrapped his arms around her feeling his heart constrict a bit. She looked so earnest as she stared at him regretfully. It was impossible not to be swayed by her sad large soft brown eyes.

"You also left and kept me from coming to you when I knew you were upset."

Hermione gasped and then met his eyes, and he saw hers darken with shame. "That wasn't very well done of me at all, was it?"

Draco took a deep breath and then said slowly. "No, it was rather cruel."

Hermione shook her head and he saw her bite her lip as she said carefully. "I was safe, you knew where I was. Ginny-"

Draco cut her off. "Did the best she could, yes, I know. I had a rather long talk with Goyle about her locking me away from you that night."

Hermione flushed and then said softly. "I wouldn't have listened, Draco. If you had shown up I would have probably done something I regretted. Ginny knew that; she's known me a very long time, Draco. That upset, you just can't reason with me, and I told her not to let you see me."

"I wish you hadn't done that. Please don't do that again. I could feel your grief but couldn't come and comfort you, and I knew I was the cause of it, it was unbearable."

Hermione dropped her head on his shoulder and he felt her take a shuddering breath before he heard her say softly. "Okay, I won't do that again, run like that I mean, I am not saying I won't be very upset at you for saying something cruel and I want you to be aware that I am not apologizing for being upset at you either. I am apologizing for not sticking around to fight this out. You are right, we are trying to build a family together, I wouldn't like it if the situation was reversed and I couldn't talk to you if you were upset at me."

He tightened his grip on her and said softly. "Thank you, Hermione. I give you permission to hex me next time, but please don't leave the country and not speak to me for a week."

They sat there for a moment just holding each other before she kissed his neck and let out a rather slow sigh and said softly. "I missed you."

OoOooOOOoOO

When her hand trailed from his forehead to his lips he hissed and stood up, cradling her as he did. Good, he had bloody missed her too! He stormed out of the sitting room they had been dining in and down the hall. Not looking at his wife who was kissing along his exposed neck and unbuttoning his shirt. He grunted as he kicked through the bedroom door, slamming it again with his foot once he had her over the threshold.

"I am not going to be soft." He said firmly as he yanked her down and held her in his arms.

She giggled. "Good. I don't really want soft tonight."

He growled and then they were kissing, and he quite forgot everything but the taste of her. His hands were rough as he ripped at her clothing, he wasn't gentle, he wasn't soft, and she seemed to love every second of it.

He dumped her on the bed and watched her with hooded eyes as he finished taking off his own clothing. Watching her as she lay panting on their bed, watching him. She let out a small little feminine moan as he shucked his trousers. He palmed himself, considering her.

"On your hands and knees." His tone was gruff, and he knew he should probably take a minute, calm himself.

Hermione's eyes went wide but then she nodded slowly and turned over, doing as he asked.

He kept palming himself watched her get into position. Finally, he simply didn't have any more control and he moved behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her still squeezing a plump breast as it dangled from her position and using his other hand to spread her cream around so that he didn't hurt her. Thank Merlin she was wet and ready for him because he didn't think he could wait any longer. She let out a loud keening moan as he entered her swiftly going to the hilt with one thrust. Her tight warmth gripped him, suctioned him in deeper.

It was his turn to moan. "Oh, you feel good, baby." He said kissing along her spine and tweaking a nipple.

She gave out a little pant and then he started to move. The first three thrusts he went slow, slow and deep, making sure he wasn't hurting her. His ring burned with her lust and he hissed in relief and went faster, harder.

She reached forward and gripped the headboard, sitting up a bit and sinking him further into her. He let out a shout of approval. "That's right, hold on." He said as he continued to thrust.

She cried out and moved her hips as if she was trying to help him go deeper. He felt the sweat roll down his back as he continued to pound her. His hand squeezed her breast, his thumb tangled in her curls, flicking her clit. She opened her mouth and started moaning almost uncontrollably.

Draco leaned forward and sucked at the spot where her shoulder met her neck, leaving a hickey she would have to cover with a glamor charm. She started panting and he knew she was close. Bloody hell she had better be close, he couldn't hold out much longer. Her tight warm sheath was gripping him continuously now, she was bathing him with her cream, it was leaking out of where they were joined. Her back was plastered to his chest and when her arms started to give out he yanked her back, sitting up with her on his haunches, pulling her to him so that no part of her small lithe body didn't touch his, and he kept fucking into her, harder, deeper.

Another orgasm crested for her and he felt his control slipping. She wrapped an arm back around his shoulder and scratched at his scalp. She turned her head so she could meet his lips in a hungry, brutal kiss. And he lost it, deep inside of her he absolutely lost it. And when he did, he came yelling her name.

Before she drifted off to sleep he whispered softly. "I am sorry. Merlin, I am so sorry."

Hermione hugged him as she felt tears slip from her eyes and he wiped them away as he continued.

"And I bloody missed you too."

She let out a small breath and nodded allowing herself to drift off to sleep. It was going to be okay, somehow they would figure this out.

OooOOooOOooOoOOoO

Tuesday dawned a stormy dreary gray and Hermione took the floo directly into the ministry to avoid having to go out in the dastardly weather.

The meeting in the morning went well; England was still trying to firm up its relations with foreign ministries. After the two wars in such quick succession, other wizarding populations in the world were obviously- and with good reason- rather weary of working with Britain.

Everything had been affected, from the business sector to the private. Loads of witches and wizards and their families had fled in the last war, taking sanctuary with other ministries. It was now left to Kingsley to assure not just the wizarding community in Britain, but around the world, that he had things firmly in hand.

And as a war hero- well as the golden trio- Harry, Ron, and her, were still sent on diplomatic relations missions to reassure the world that Voldemort and his followers were indeed vanquished.

And with so much changing in the muggle world right now it was imperative that the ministries stand united. It wasn't so much if, but when, muggles would start to notice things now. And the magical ministries were being forced to work more closely with their Muggle counterparts than they ever had been in the past.

The Australian Ministry, for example, had requested help to work with their Muggle Ministry in regards to what the muggle minister had called an 'executive law'. Muggles were starting to notice the odd way in which wizards sometimes dressed. The Muggle Minister had wished to implement some kind of regulation in order to keep his constitutes from asking too many odd questions. Odd things were going on in the Muggle world, there was a lot of tension, and there was war there as well. Middle Easter wizards were being forced to flee their home, and Australia was not welcoming to them. A large population of wizards from a country called Iraq had been utterly displaced recently and the Australian ministry had taken in about fifteen percent of the population. Unfortunately, that had been noticed by the muggles.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened to the elderly wizards debating the relevance of the muggles demands and then held up her hand.

"Please, gentlemen."

They quieted and she stood up.

"The Muggle Minister made a very valid point. If wizards refuse to dress appropriately so that they can blend into their surroundings, it can and is going to become a problem. It's not just a matter of the wizards in question not wearing proper Muggle attire; they are not even in the proper attire for the country they are in! The witches stand out so much that it's been on the Muggle news frequently. This has the potential to be a major problem and if we don't all address that-" She let her voice trail off and watched as the men frowned at her.

Kingsley stood up, clearing his throat. "I don't see that this will become a situation in London." He said calmly. "We are a melting cauldron of diverse cultures in town, however, this could and is a problem in areas where there are not so many differences to hide among."

Hermione nodded. "Precisely, and that is why I suggested that the Australian Minister work to make sure that something is done. He will be drafting the law within the week with the help of someone from their Mugglele Liaison office."

An old grizzled wizard stood up looking flushed with his disquiet. "Drafting a law to force wizards to dress like muggles?" He bellowed in disgust.

Hermione sighed. "Drafting a law to implement a policy that will ensure wizards are protected." She said calmly. "It's a very small Island. The wizards that have fled there have to blend in or they risk exposing the entire community."

The old wizard sank down but still looked livid. "Well," he said testily.

Kingsley smiled at her reassuringly and stood up. "Thank you Hermione, for leaving on such short notice and working so hard to keep us appraised of this situation.

Hermione gave a small smile and said. "No problem, sir."

The other witches, most representatives of other ministries, filed out, all talking to each other. A small French wizard approached her.

"I was very excited to learn you would be speaking today, Mrs. Malfoy." He said in a wheezy voice that had not much of an accent.

Hermione smiled at him. "Merci, that's very kind of you."

The man smiled broadly. "I was at your bonding you know. Very powerful magic that was, I left with singed nerves. You're a very powerful witch."

Hermione flushed and nodded giving him a small smile. She had no idea what to say to that.

The man nodded at her firmly. "Oh yes. Shook the whole building when you two did the blood oath, never seen the like in all my ninety years."

Hermione froze looking at the wizard in shock. What did he mean by that? The blood oath? And she thought no one had seen a bonding in centuries, what was this man talking about?

Kingsley interrupted them looking a bit annoyed, a very rare thing for the calm tall wizard. "I am sure you remember Master Bliss, that we are not speaking of this in company."

The old wizard blinked and then flushed a bit. "Oh, right, my apologies." He smiled again at Hermione and then rushed off, mumbling to himself.

"What did he mean by that, Kingsley?"

Kingsley sighed and then said in a rather weary tone. "My office if you please, Hermione."

Hermione followed him feeling her heart triple its beat. When he closed his door and locked and charmed it so that no one could hear their conversation she started to panic a bit. She only knew of one oath that was called 'the blood oath' and it was illegal. Surely the wizard was just confused.

"Kingsley-" But a firm hand was raised and she went silent.

"Please sit down, Hermione."

She did as she was told, because his tone left her no option.

He nodded once she had and steeple his hands giving her a long look. "You remember of course that your bonding was the first done in centuries?"

Hermione nodded, thankful the discussion started out so benign. Yes, she was aware that the ceremony had been the first, she knew that the Malfoy's had made sure of that. It's why her wedding and bonding had been so rushed.

The man nodded. "Right, it was also not done on our shores or by our ministry."

This she had not realized. "I'm sorry?" She said frowning.

Kingsley nodded. "The Malfoy's are an old well respected family and the wizard who performed your bond was known to them, but he was attached to the French Ministry, not ours. It wasn't considered to be an issue, because after all the binding ceremony is ancient magic, it predates even our own Ministry."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know that, sir."

Kingsley sighed. "In the rush and excitement leading up to your binding however something was overlooked."

Hermione's eyes went wide and she sat silently staring at the man. "Overlooked, sir?"

A slow nod, a quiet clearing of this throat and then. "It is accepted in France that a bound couple also receives the rights of the blood oath."

Hermione went pale and stood up, the papers in her lap falling to the floor. "What!"

Kingsley watched her carefully and then said in his still too calm voice. "You and your husband are not just bonded souls, Hermione, your blood is bonded."

Hermione felt sick. "But, that's dark magic-"

Kingsley frowned and then stood up. "Actually it is not dark; it is ancient and was exploited by dark wizards in our lands. In other countries it is a legal and although not a common ceremony, one that isn't feared."

Hermione shook her head trying to move the jumbled thoughts around inside of it. She felt cold with dread. "But that's what Voldemort used, to control his followers, that's how he called them to him."

Kingsley frowned and then said sternly. "He used a form of the oath, Hermione. He warped it to fit his needs."

She blinked and looked up at him. "So, what was done to me?"

A sigh and then in his calm sure voice. "Just the ancient oath, it means that you are never more than a thought away from your husband and in cases of grave peril, you will know."

Hermione flinched. "But he can just find me, all the time." She said weakly. "That's such an invasion of privacy."

Kingsley nodded looking a bit disquieted but then he sighed. "Yes, but he is also bound to your soul, hurting you, hurts him. I have spoken with Draco about this; he understands the ramifications if this gets out. He has agreed that he will not mention this to anyone and that he will only use the oath if you are in danger."

Hermione snapped to attention. "He knows? Draco knows?"

Kingsley sighed. "Yes, he is aware. He was very concerned at your reaction, I in fact warned him that he might want to wait to inform you of this situation until a time he felt you would not become too upset."

Hermione nodded, yes, Kingsley would have said something like that. He knew her aversion to the dark arts. But she couldn't understand why Draco hadn't spoken with her about this. He had power over her, greater then even she had realized.

She frowned as she worried her lip thinking about all that she had learned. This had to have been what Draco had wanted to tell her when they had taken that getaway to Paris! And he had been so right, she would have been furious, she was furious! But not at him, he hadn't done this to her. Her heart ached for him, she knew how much he had hated the bond he had been forced to share with Voldemort and now he was bound to her.

Kingsley cleared his throat interrupting her thoughts and she looked up, waiting for him to speak.

"I am sorry but I must ask that you not speak of this to anyone. This is a bit of an embarrassment to our Ministry, Hermione. You are a well respected war hero; it wouldn't do for our wizarding community to know that what they considered dark magic was performed on you without your consent or knowledge."

Hermione flinched and then sucked in a breath. "Or for my name to be smeared across the front page as a witch that had allowed such a ceremony to be performed on her. There is always the chance they will not say it was without my consent, minister. That they will twist this to be more sensational."

Kingsley nodded firmly. "Yes, or that."

Hermione stood up. "I- well- thank you for speaking with me."

Kingsley gave her a smart little bow and she quickly waved her wand to pick up all the loose parchment papers that had fallen and rushed out.

OoOooOoOoOOoO

That night she cried in her husbands arms as she told him how sorry she was about the blood bond and that she should have looked into the ceremony herself. After all she was the one who had made the charm, had resurrected this old magic. She knew that logically it made no sense to blame herself, this was totally on the Ministry. But she couldn't seem to calm down and she was so sure somehow that she was totally to blame. If she hadn't invented the charm none of this would have happened.

She knew that Draco had to have been rather uncomfortable about the blood bond, he had told her how much he hated the dark mark and from what she understood the two bonds were of the same type of magic. She was heartbroken he had been bonded to her in a way he hadn't consented to. That was a terrible thing, to bind someone by such magic without their knowledge.

Draco for his part just held her, comforted her, and told her it wasn't her fault. Mostly he just tried to calm her down and not say anything else to upset her. He had come to terms with this situation after all. He agreed it shouldn't have happened but he didn't resent the bond to her. In fact, it was a bit comforting knowing that if she was indeed ever in mortal peril he could find her, he would always find her.

But given how upset his wife was at the moment he let her fall asleep, and as he listened to her continue to hiccup after she did finally fall into a light sleep, he decided that he would never bring up the blood bond again unless she did. Draco was humble enough to admit that he was shite at comforting crying witches, and it rather broke his heart that she had spent most of the night crying over this. Better to just leave it alone.

In the morning he made slow love to her and then left her to have a bit of a lie in. He didn't like the dark circles under her eyes or the fact that she had cried for so long the night before. He made a mental note to maybe get a healer in to see her if she kept this up. She must be under too much stress at work.

Notes:
Well, that was shocking...