AN: I know I promised no AN's during the story, but I had to drop a note to say I am so sorry for posting this chapter late. No excuses, it's just been a crappy week. I hope you are all enjoying the story. We're just over halfway through, so there is still plenty of story left to go. Stick with me and feel free to leave me a review letting me know what you think. I'm up to 50 reviews now. I'd love to hit 100! Thank you all for reading!
{ Chapter Eleven }
Draco kept his hand on the small of Hermione's back as he guided her through the hallways to the courtroom. The hum of noise got louder as they got closer and she hesitated right outside the door. Her hand hovered over the door handle for a long moment.
"It sounds like all of wizarding London is in there." Her voice was barely more than a whisper and trembled slightly.
"You aren't far off, I'm sure." He could tell she was nervous. He could practically feel her trembling beneath his fingertips. But this was Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess, and she would never show her weakness. She took two deep breaths and he watched as she composed herself, wiping all emotion from her face and replacing it with a small insincere smile. She rolled her shoulders back and held her head high as she opened the door to the courtroom and stepped through.
A round of applause greeted them. She turned to the crowd and gave a small wave without actually focusing on any one person. She then allowed Draco to lead her to the table in the front of the room where she sat and waited for Kingsley to call the court to order. The applause had died down, but the conversation kept going, louder than before. She could hear people saying her name behind her, but she blocked them all out and kept her face forward.
Kingsley entered the room a few minutes later and the room immediately quieted. Draco noticed that the man looked agitated. He understood though. They had been unable to find Weasley at the house, which meant that there were more important things to do at the moment than waste time holding a wedding ceremony.
"May the court note the following. The marriage bond between Ronald and Hermione Weasley has been dissolved. Ronald Weasley has been charged with attempted murder, filing a false report with the Ministry, and impeding a Ministry Objective. He has escaped from Ministry custody and is still at large. A search is already underway to capture Mr. Weasley and bring him to justice for these crimes."
The crowd was stunned. Molly Weasley started crying and most in the room turned towards her and her family to see their reaction to the news that their youngest son was a wanted man.
"Mr. Malfoy, as previously stated you are now required to marry Miss Granger and remain married for no less than one year. This marriage will be legal and binding in every sense of the word. Are you prepared to marry Miss Granger at this point in time?"
"Yes, sir." There was no hesitation in his voice, which seemed to surprise many in the courtroom as a collective gasp echoed through the room.
"Very well. Miss Granger, are you aware that Mr. Malfoy has spoken as your sponsor and as such has taken responsibility of your well-being upon himself? Because of this, you will be required to marry Mr. Malfoy. Under wizarding law, you will have the option to request the marriage bond be dissolved on or after your fifth wedding anniversary. Are you prepared to marry Mr. Malfoy at this point in time?"
"Yes, sir." Again, no hesitation. Talking erupted in the courtroom as speculation began to spread. Draco's hand clenched into a tight fist under the table. Hermione didn't even flinch.
Kingsley sighed and motioned the two to step forward.
"Draco Malfoy, do you take Hermione Granger as your wife, to care for her and to protect her for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." The crowd had quieted down and the room watched in a shocked silence.
"Hermione Granger, do you take Draco Malfoy as your husband, to care for him, to honor and obey him, for as long as you both shall live?"
She swallowed thickly.
Draco could feel her hand trembling against his. He glanced over at her and noticed that the color had drained from her face. The entire courtroom held their breath waiting for her to respond.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she found Draco staring at her intently. She leaned closer to him and whispered, so only Draco could hear what she needed to say.
"I cannot vow to obey you." She squeezed his hand hard. "I won't ever make that mistake again."
Their eyes met again and he studied them for a long moment. He understood, of course, and he really couldn't blame her. Silently he nodded to her then leaned over to speak in a low voice to the Minister of Magic. Kingsley considered Draco's request before waving his wand over the contract.
"Hermione Granger, do you take Draco Malfoy as your husband, to care for him and to honor him for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." She smiled and released a nervous breath before squeezing Draco's hand once more in appreciation.
"Very well. Do you have rings?"
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a green velvet box. He opened the box and set it on the table next to the marriage contract. On one side sat a gold band with a pattern of leaves inset in black gold surrounding the Malfoy family crest. On the other side of the box sat a gold band with an oval shaped emerald overlaying the same crest. The rings had been in the Malfoy family for generations. They were infused with ancient magic and protection charms which had long been coveted, but were completely useless to anyone other than a Malfoy.
"You have both read the contract and agreed to its terms. Draw your wands." He paused for a moment as Draco and Hermione prepared their wands. "Tap the parchment and state your full name."
Hermione went first, followed by Draco. They watched as their signatures were added to the parchment. Once complete a silver glow emanated from the paper.
"Now the rings. Draco, remove Hermione's ring from the box and place it on her left hand with the words 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Draco picked the ring up off the velvet lining of the box and suddenly a thought flitted through his mind. This is it, he thought. I'm actually marrying Hermione Granger!
He swallowed thickly as he lifted her hand and slipped the ring on her finger.
"With this ring, I thee wed." The ring magically adjusted itself to fit her perfectly.
Hermione lifted his band out of the box and repeated his actions, slipping the ring on his finger and stating "With this ring, I thee wed." As she slipped it into place, both rings hummed in acceptance and the marriage contract glowed with a golden light.
Hermione and Draco could each feel the magic from the rings seeping into their energies. It was unexpected and enthralling. They stared into each other's eyes, caught in the moment until Kingsley cleared his throat.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Draco, you may kiss your bride."
He hesitated only a moment before leaning in and brushing his lips over hers. He wasn't prepared for her reaction, though. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Her lips pressed against his and moved slowly, gently. His reaction was instantaneous. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close as he returned her kiss. It was a soft, slow kiss, but it was full of feeling, full of passion, full of spark. They pulled apart much quicker than either one of them wanted to, only because of the captive audience that was watching their every move.
Kingsley, like everyone else in the room, felt his curiosity increasing by the minute. From his point of view, Draco and Hermione had never been friends. They had never even been associates as far as he knew. Supposedly they had had no contact over the last five years. And yet they had both readily agreed to get married. And they were kissing each other as though they were old lovers reunited.
Someday he would figure it out, but it wouldn't be today. When the couple turned back to face him, he raised his hands over his heads and made the final pronouncement.
"May I present Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy."
A stunned type of applause filled the courtroom as the couple turned to face the crowd. Hermione's eyes immediately landed on Harry. He looked…bewildered. Luna was sitting next to him with a small smile on her face, looking dreamy as always.
Draco's eyes found his parents. His mother was dabbing at her eyes daintily. His father was glaring daggers his direction. Suddenly Lucius Malfoy stood and cleared his throat.
"Minister Shacklebolt, please file this copy of my Last Will and Testament along with the marriage bond. As long as the bond is intact, Draco is to be disinherited." Another gasp sounded through the crowd. Draco himself cringed and Hermione squeezed his hand. He had known it was coming, but was hoping his father would choose a more private setting than this. As it was, all he could do was hold his head up and meet his father's penetrating glare.
"As of today, boy, you will no longer have access to Malfoy funds, property or land. If no heir is presented within the next year, then at sundown one year from today if the marriage bond still holds your name will be burnt off the family tree permanently and you will be dead to me."
The air around the two men was charged as onlookers held their breaths.
Draco had two options. He could placate his father, agree with him that the marriage would be over in a year's time and assure him the pureblood line would not be spoiled. Then again, he thought as he glanced at his new wife, he could always just tell the man to fuck off.
"Honestly, Father, that's more than I expected from you. I will make you no promises on the duration of my marriage, though. Hermione will remain my wife for as long as she'll have me as her husband."
Hermione was as surprised by his words as everyone else that was listening. She felt herself smiling, just a little bit. Through her years of research, of planning, and of waiting, she had come to terms with the fact that she would have to marry Malfoy. She had always thought of it as a transitional phase, a large step up from being married to Ron, and when the year was over she could go off to live by herself in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere with twenty cats and a gigantic guard dog.
Maybe, just maybe though, maybe it wouldn't have to be like that.
Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. He's just trying to get under his Father's skin. It's not like you're going to live happily ever after with Draco Malfoy! Still, I wouldn't mind trying that kiss again, later when we're alone, in the dark, naked.
She shook her head slightly. It would not do to continue that line of thinking. She was certain that he would not want her in that way. This wasn't a real marriage. Draco was merely paying off his life-debt. In a year's time the debt would be paid and they would go their separate ways.
As Hermione became lost in her thoughts, she tuned out everything going on around her. She didn't notice when Lucius left the courtroom with a barely veiled threat and a sneer, or when Narcissa smiled sweetly at them and followed her husband. She didn't notice Harry and Luna watching her from across the room, watching but not stepping forward to say hello to her. She didn't even notice when Draco took her elbow and guided her out the door into the now empty corridor.
He wasn't sure exactly when he had lost her, but at some point during his conversation with his Father he had realized she wasn't paying any attention. She was standing next to him, but her mind was a million miles away. As he guided her to an open floo, he began to wonder what she was thinking about.
"Are you okay?" he leaned down and spoke into her ear in a low tone.
The sound of his voice broke her from her thoughts and sent a wave of energy coursing through her body. She reflexively turned toward the sound of his voice and was surprised further by his proximity. His face was only inches away from hers.
Their eyes connected, molten silver and chocolate brown collided and neither one dared to breathe. In that instant all of her other thoughts melted away. Hermione was not a spontaneous person. Under normal circumstances she was all about planning and contingency planning. For this, though, there was no planning. There was no forethought. The only thought that echoed through her mind was that she wanted to kiss him again. In the spur of the moment she could not think of any reason not to kiss him.
For a long moment they stood in the hallway, inches apart, eyes locked together, neither moving, neither breathing. Then before she could talk herself out of it and before she could think of the million reasons why it was a bad idea, she moved forward, closing the gap between them and pressing her lips against his.
His hands wrapped around her waist as he responded to her soft kiss. Their lips moved against each other with increasing intensity and he was about to deepen the kiss when the sound of laughter echoed down the corridor. He suddenly remembered where they were and pulled away reluctantly, leaning his forehead against hers as he caught his breath.
He had never considered that a possible perk of being married to Hermione was that she would be such an incredible kisser.
"Are you ready to go home?"
She took a shaky breath before nodding at him, stepping back and taking his hand. They stepped into the green flames together and emerged moments later in the study at his…their house.