{ Chapter Ten }
The courtroom buzzed with conversation as Draco followed the Minister into the hallway. Two aurors followed behind them. Draco wasn't familiar with the aurors, but they reminded him of Crabbe and Goyle. One man was tall and thin with dark hair; the other was short and stubby with no hair at all.
Kingsley went through the floo connection to the Weasley's house first, followed by Draco, then Ron, then the two aurors.
The house was just as spotless as he remembered from his one previous visit. The aurors searched the house while Kingsley, Draco and Ron waited in the sitting room. They spent several minutes glaring at each other before anyone spoke. It was an uncomfortable silence for all involved.
"How did you figure it out, Malfoy?" Ron had been asking himself that question all day. He tried to remember when he could have possibly slipped up, but had come up empty.
"Research, Weasley. I knew you were the one that attacked her at the ball a few years ago by the way you reacted afterwards. What I didn't know was why she wouldn't have fought back, why she stayed with you after that. When she disappeared at first I thought good for her. She managed to get away. When she never contacted anyone, like Harry or Luna, to let them know she was safe I started thinking maybe she didn't get away at all."
"She told you, didn't she? I don't know how, but somehow she managed to tell you." He picked up a picture frame and threw it across the room where it smashed into a wall and shattered. "Fucking bitch. She wasn't supposed to be able to tell anyone."
Draco watched him with caution, fully aware that the Weasel was hanging on by a thread.
"She never said a word. We've only talked one time since the Final Battle, Weasel, and that's when she was in the hospital. I took her statement and then she started talking to me about her work. Honestly, I tuned most of it out." A noise to his right had him looking over his shoulder at the wall. There was nothing there, but he could have sworn he heard 'hmph' coming from that direction. Shaking his head, he turned back around and continued. "I will never understand how she can find ancient runes so fascinating."
The aurors both returned to the sitting room empty handed, having found no trace of her in the house.
"Where is she, Mr. Weasley?" Kingsley was getting exasperated. To begin with, he was extremely disappointed in Ron Weasley, a man that he had mentored through the years following the war. When Draco had initially shown him the documents he planned to file with the court, he had thought it preposterous. After hearing the testimony, though, he was just anxious to see Hermione and make sure she was alright. He had always had a soft spot in his heart for the girl, as most in the wizarding community did. She was the epitome of what the light side fought for. To know that something like this had happened to her, at the hands of one of her best friends, simply broke his heart.
"She's around. She's gotten quite good at disillusionment charms over the years, isn't that right Mione?"
"Enough of these games. Tell her to show herself, Mr. Weasley."
Ron smirked at him before rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Hermione, let our guests see you."
The wall behind Draco, in the exact spot where he had heard a noise only moments earlier, began to shift and morph into the form of woman. Her curly brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. Her brown eyes remained downcast. She was wearing a red negligee that barely covered her thin body and matching three inch heels. There was a slight slump to her shoulders and Draco recognized immediately that she was embarrassed to be seen in such a manner, with five men standing around gawking at her. He removed his cloak and slipped it over her shoulders. She stood frozen in place, not daring to respond as he fastened the clasp around her neck.
"She's still my wife, Malfoy. I suggest you keep your hands to yourself." Ron's hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"Not for long, Weasel." Her eyes flickered almost imperceptibly up to meet his. He had been concerned that maybe, after all this time, maybe she had changed her mind. The hope he saw in her eyes at that moment, though, made him catch his breath and washed away any doubts in his mind.
"You think she wants to marry you, Malfoy? Really? She hates you as much as you hate her." Ron was fuming now. Seeing Draco act like he actually cared for her was just to much for him.
Draco's eyes narrowed and he glared at the red haired man, taking a step closer to him and positioning himself in between Hermione and Ron.
"I've told you before; don't assume you know me or anything about me. In fact, don't even talk to me, Weasel. Let's just get back to the Ministry so we can finish this."
"I agree. Let's move. Mrs. Weasley, if you would please come with us." Kingsley motioned towards the floo, but Hermione didn't move.
"I've already told you, she can't leave." Ron smirked. Draco and Kingsley watched him as he pulled a bottle of mead out of a wine cabinet and poured a small glass. He crossed the room and stood between Hermione and Draco. "What do you say, love? One final drink for the road? Drink it, Hermione."
A memory tickled at the back of Draco's mind, but it was forgotten as he watched Hermione's hand shakily reach for the glass. Her eyes flicked up to meet his and the hope he had seen earlier was replaced with sheer panic.
"You see, Malfoy, I think my 'Mione would rather die than marry a Malfoy. Isn't that right, 'Mione?"
Hermione's hand shook as she placed the glass against her lips. Her eyes closed and a single tear dripped down her cheek.
Suddenly the memory clicked. Sixth year. The bottle of mead. Poison.
He seemed to move in slow motion as he pushed Ron out of the way and reached for the glass in her hand.
He was too late. She collapsed to the floor and began to convulse.
"Weasley! What the hell did you do?" Kingsley held his wand to Ron's throat.
"Fuck. It was poisoned. I need a bezoar." Draco knelt beside her and tried to support her head. Her eyes had rolled back and she was shaking uncontrollably. Inside he was screaming. He was so close to saving her. He couldn't lose her now, not after everything they had been through to get to this point.
"I've got one." The tall, thin auror opened his field kit and pushed Draco out of the way so he could administer the bezoar. Draco, Kingsley and the two aurors waited anxiously as her convulsions gradually slowed and her breathing evened out. When her eyes fluttered open, Draco breathed out a sigh of relief.
"I swear to Merlin, Weasley, as soon as that bond is dissolved, you're a dead man," Draco ground out through clenched teeth. No one in the room bothered to argue the point.
Kingsley trained his wand on Ron. If he hadn't truly believed that Ron had placed The Perfect Wife curse on Hermione to begin with, he was now more than convinced. He forced Ron into a chair before using incarcerous to bind his hands and feet to the chair. Then he sent a patronus off to the Ministry. He had let this go on long enough and was determined to regain control.
Hermione was just starting to sit up with the help of Draco and the auror that had provided the bezoar when the fireplace glowed green and Oliver Wood stepped through.
"Ah, Wood. Do you have the contract?" Kingsley's eyes and wand never left Ron, but he lifted his free hand in the direction of the newcomer.
Oliver glanced around the room, taking note of Hermione sitting on the floor and Draco helping her to stand, Ron bound to a chair and Kingsley holding his wand steadily on him. He directed his attention to Kingsley and handed him the contract he had sent for.
Kingsley opened the contract and read through it quickly to verify it was the correct one, and then he waved his wand over it and muttered the incantation to dissolve the bond. A bright white light burst from the paper. It lasted only a few seconds before the paper itself caught fire and disintegrated in mid-air.
Hermione, who was now standing next to the couch, gasped as she again collapsed to her knees. Her hands covered her ears and she cried out in pain.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" Draco knelt down next to her. She shook her head almost imperceptively.
"It's gone." She whispered so low that he had to lean in closer to hear her. She looked up then and her brown eyes met his gray eyes. Her face broke into a brilliant smile and she threw her arms around his neck. "It's gone, Malfoy! Oh Merlin, you did it! I'm me again!"
His arms automatically wrapped around her as a wave of relief flooded through him. The curse was gone. She was free. He lifted her off the floor and set her down on her feet.
As soon as she was standing she kicked off her shoes and pulled the band out of her hair, letting it fall in curls down her back.
"I will never, ever wear my hair up again, I swear to all things holy." She looked around the room, highly aware that every eye was on her at that moment. Her gaze rested on Ron for a moment before focusing on Kingsley. "I'm going to go put on actual clothes. I suggest you have that out of my house before I get back."
"Your house?" Ron yelled incredulously. "What do you mean your house? We aren't married any more, Hermione. Which means this is no longer your house. Besides, didn't you hear? You'll be marrying Malfoy by the end of the day. So get the hell out of my house, you bitch!"
"I bought this house before we were married, Ronald. That makes it my house. And I have every intention of selling it as soon as possible." She didn't wait for his response; she merely turned on her heel and walked back to the bedroom.
As soon as she was out of the room, Kingsley spoke up.
"Ron Weasley, you are under arrest. The charges against you are attempted murder, filing a false report with the ministry, and impeding a Ministry objective." Kingsley motioned to the two aurors in the room. "Escort Mr. Weasley to Azkaban until such a time that a trial can be scheduled."
Anti-apparition wards had been set up around the house, so the only way in or out magically was through the floo network. One of the aurors stepped forward to place the magic-binding cuffs on Ron's arms. Just as he was about to fasten the cuffs around Ron's wrists, without warning and with a small 'pop', he disappeared.
"What happened to the anti-apparition wards?" The short, bald auror asked. He was still standing in front of the spot where Ron Weasley had been standing only seconds earlier, holding the magic-binding cuffs in his hands.
Draco pulled out his wand and tested the wards, finding them still intact.
"They're good. He's here somewhere. Split up. Find him. I'm going to check on Hermione." He left the others in the sitting room and followed the hallway to the bedroom. He knocked on the door, but when he got no response he opened it and stepped through.
"Hermione? Are you in here?" He looked around and noticed that the bathroom door was slightly ajar. "Hermione?" He knocked on the door and gently pushed it open. She was standing on the other side of the door, fastening a pearl earring into her left earlobe.
Draco's breath caught in his throat as his gray eyes met her brown ones. Her brown hair fell in gentle waves down her back and across her shoulders. She was wearing a cream colored strapless dress that was fitted across her chest and flared out below her waist to fall just above her knees. Her shoes had a low heel and matched her dress perfectly. She was wearing simple pearl earrings and a string of pearls that matched. Her brown eyes had been highlighted with shimmering brown shadow and mascara; her lips were painted a dark rose color. Simply put, she looked classic, timeless, and absolutely beautiful.
She smiled at his reflection, a wide smile that lit up her whole face. It was probably the only real smile she had worn in years.
"You look amazing." He didn't really mean to say it out loud, but was glad that he did when her smile widened and she averted her eyes in embarrassment. "Are you about ready? We need to go."
She nodded at him silently and started packing her toiletry items into her beaded bag. He watched her for a moment before turning around and giving her privacy as he scanned the bedroom for any movement.
"I will never be able to thank you enough, Malfoy. You know that, right? I owe you a token, now. I swear to Merlin that I do."
"That's not how it works. We are even now." He laughed as he turned around to find her standing right behind him.
Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest. He hesitated only a moment before wrapping her up in his arms and holding her tight. They had both been ready and waiting for this moment for so long, it was hard to believe that it was finally there. Now that it was, he never wanted to let her go.
There were so many things that he wanted to say to her in that moment. There were so many things that he wanted to ask her. He just couldn't bring himself to break the silence between them, though. It was like they just needed that quiet moment between them before they had to return to the Ministry. There would be plenty of time to ask those questions that needed asked, to say those things that needed said.
For now, though, they just needed a moment.