Never the Twain Shall Meet
Two weeks went by and it was time for 'the wedding'.
She hadn't spoken to Marcus since that night, though they sent a few owls back and forth. She was busy with preparing for NEWTs and he busy with his normal curriculum and training.
She missed him and wondered why he hadn't been more assertive, finally coming the realization that they were friends and that's all he wanted.
She figured he had been caught up in the moment that night when he told her he wanted to kiss her.
Slightly disappointed, she had given him his space opting instead to harden her heart a little against the growing affection she felt for him.
The day after the reveal, Blaise made his way to the Gryffindor table and asked to speak with Ginny alone.
The hall had fallen silent during Blaise's walk across the large room.
***Flashback
"Ahem" he cleared his throat to get her attention. He was standing behind her to the right.
Conversation had stalled and the wide surprised eyes of the Gryffindor students looked up at the imposing, but sinfully handsome Slytherin.
Blaise had withdrawn some, but was starting to pull out of it and smile more around his friends.
She turned her head up following the gazes of her classmates; her eyebrows rose in surprise, but settled quickly in a satisfied smirk, "Can we talk?" he asked quietly, confidently. He looked around and the prying eyes, "alone."
She nodded curtly and shared a curious look with Lavendar and Parvati, she refused the glaring eyes of her brother.
Not one to stand on ceremony he walked out of the hall not waiting for his betrothed.
He could hear her footsteps jogging to catch up to his brisk pace; he held the door open for her and together they walked in silence to the edge of the lake.
"My mother knows and will be contacting yours today. We'll have a small ceremony at the ministry." He raised a hand to silence her objection.
"Make no mistake; I don't want to marry you. I don't love you and after what you did, I doubt I ever will. I will promise to ensure that you are cared for and never want for anything until my death." He said in a no-nonsense manner brooking no argument from her.
"What are your plans for the baby?" he asked needing to see her while she spoke in order to read her complete intent.
She huffed and shrugged, "I don't know. I'm not really interested in being a mother, but it's still early yet. I don't want to quit Quidditch, I'd like to travel." She said wistfully.
He was annoyed and trying really hard to keep his temper, "I asked you about plans for the baby, not what you wanted to do." He clarified in an authoritative tone.
She glared at him for a moment, "I asked you before, don't you have house-elves?" she asked and then continued her explanation hoping he would understand, "Look, I'll never make Quidditch captain if my game suffers. It's bad enough that I must sacrifice this year. Next year is my last opportunity to get drafted, so I have to be on the top of my game. I can't do that if I'm waking up every ten minutes to a baby crying." She snapped.
He maintained his calm appearance, but internally he was reeling in disbelief. He knew some witches weren't cut out to be mothers, Flints' mother was a prime example, but at the moment, her attitude just seemed so…wrong, selfish, cold.
He nodded, "Alright. I've asked Lucius Malfoy, our family barrister to craft a memorandum of agreement between you and I. We will both sign it before we marry." He said giving her a fixed stare.
She jutted her chin and folding her arms in front of her in a stubborn manner, "What will it say?"
He took a deep breath, "I will provide you with a flat, which will be signed over to you; I will provide you with a monthly stipend until my death; I will assume complete legal custody for the baby." He said.
"How much of a stipend?" she asked immediately and he again found himself reeling in disbelief; she didn't bat an eye regarding his last stipulation.
"Enough for you to live comfortably without working." He said.
She nodded.
***end flashback
So here we are, Hermione thought, Saturday afternoon all dressed up watching our best friend marry a tramp.
Ginny had been keeping her distance from her former best girlfriend. She was expecting Hermione to hex her at every corner, but instead, Hermione sat back and watched, amused at Ginny's paranoia.
This wasn't over; it was just beginning. Hermione smiled slightly at that thought.
The officiate stood at the podium with Blaise and Ginny in front of him.
Draco stood as best man for Blaise; both men were wearing traditional dress robes black in color. Hermione and Blaise' mother were present standing quietly in the back of the room. They were currently holding hands; Alexandra gripping Hermione's small hand tightly.
Molly and Arthur Weasley were present from her side.
Ginny was wearing Molly's old wedding dress. It was ill fit for Ginny's taller more slender stature and it was turning yellow with age. Hermione thought the red head should have just worn her school robes, they were nicer.
"Blaise Vittorio Zabini, do you take Ginerva Molly Weasley as your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Ginerva Molly Weasley, do you take Blaise Vittorio Zabini as you lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
The officiate nodded, having been instructed to keep it short with no declarations of love or cherishing, "Please place the rings on your fingers." They did.
"You are now pronounced, husband and wife."
They didn't kiss.
Ginny looked down at her plain gold band and sighed disappointed. She had yearned for something pretty; sparkley.
Hermione saw the disappointment in the young witch's eyes and narrowed her eyes.
She didn't realize that she was returning Alexandra's strong grip until the older woman's obsidian eyes met hers.
"oh, sorry." She said when Alexandra cast a quick glance to their joined hands.
"It's alright, dear. It's almost over." She smiled and Hermione noticed how sad her voice and eyes had become.
Blaise chanced a look to the back of the room where the two women he loved stood, hand in hand watching this mockery of a wedding.
He felt guilty, just then, for being careless.
The ceremony was over and Blaise turned to look at Draco who stood behind him. His long time remained stoic. The blond jerked his head to the back and together they walked out. Blaise looked back to see if Ginny was coming, but she was currently being fawned over by her very loud mother.
Alexandra, ever the lady, asked Blaise and Draco to wait for a moment while she dutifully made her way over to the other woman inviting her to tea.
Molly puffed up like a fish and asked, "Oh, shall we meet at Guillome's?" A very upper class very expensive restaurant; Molly pronounced it 'Gillums' instead of the proper French enunciation making Hermione, Draco and Blaise cringe at the butchering.
Alexandra was slightly offended by the woman's presumption, but recovered quickly, "If you'd like." She said smoothly, promising herself not to forget to invite Narcissa Malfoy, Ellen Greengrass and Elizabeth Pucey. She would need reinforcements.
She then moved to her daughter-in-law and gave the girl a stiff hug, "Welcome to the family dear." She said and waited for the girls' manners to kick in and welcome her as well, no such luck.
Alexandra smiled after a rather awkward few seconds and tilted her head respectfully before taking her leave.
"Shall we lunch?" Alexandra asked when they started down the hall, "I could use a drink." She said quieter than her previous proposal making Hermione smile, Draco snort quietly and Blaise nod in agreement.
It was a pleasant lunch over too quickly. Bidding good byes and promises to visit soon, Draco and Hermione walked out of the restaurant silently.
"Let's go to Pucey's." he said tugging her hand so they would get to the apparition point quickly.
She almost stumbled twice before she snapped at him to slow down, "Draco!" When he turned around she pointed to her pencil skirt restricting her movement and her heels making it difficult to engage in a foot race.
"oh, sorry."
She walked into his arms and felt the pull of apperation a moment later. She opened her eyes and stepped back looking at the door to the flat Pucey and Marcus shared.
Draco opened the door and yelled, "Adrian! Marcus! You here?"
"In the back!" someone with a deep voice yelled.
As they neared they could hear laughing, yelling and crashing cars, "Get the fuck off me, Flint!"
Flint laughed and another loud crash sounded followed by popping sounds and explosions.
Draco and Hermione entered a large, comfortable looking 'play' room in the back of the enormous flat.
Marcus and his roommate Adrian were sitting in huge bean bags in front of a large screen plasma telly playing a war game that Hermione recognized as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
She knew it because her and Harry played all the time when he visited her house.
Someone was shot and killed on screen resulting in Adrian dropping the controller, "you cheated." He said, but it was swallowed by Marcus jumping up laughing in victory, "WOOO, I AM KING!" he shouted.
Draco cleared his throat and the residents turned to face the visitor.
"hey Malfoy and.. Granger?" Adrian stood immediately and walked to greet her.
His predatory gaze made her flush and avert her eyes to a now silent Marcus. She startled when Adrian took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles in greeting, "To what do we owe the pleasure of you company, Miss Granger?" Pucey asked smoothly making Draco roll his eyes and Marcus stiffen.
She cleared her throat and smiled at the suave wizard that just happened to be sinfully beautiful, Hermione mentally shook her head to clear it, "Please call me Hermione or Mya. We just stopped by at Draco's urging. Blaise got married today." She said with a grimace.
The light mood in the room suddenly morphed into a tense quiet, "you're kind of a buzz kill, Granger." Draco teased.
She snorted, "I know, right?" she laughed and then changed the subject since Marcus was clearly not going to speak to her, only stare, "Is that Modern Warfare 1 or 2?" she asked.
Adrian perked up and Marcus quirked a brow at her, "you play?" Pucey asked.
Draco snorted this time and Hermione smiled demurely, "on occasion." She snipped with humor.
"Well Marcus just won, so why don't you play him and we'll see how well you do." Adrian dared.
This time Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Loads better than you just did, I imagine." She teased.
"swot." He responded with a smirk and then stopped, "Are you a betting witch Mya?" he asked using the shorter friendlier version of her name.
Her eyes darted to Draco who was emphatically shaking his head NO.
"Maybe, why?" she asked.
She caught Marcus smiling and refocused her eyes on Adrian, "Care to place a wager on the game?"
"What're the stakes?" Using the common betting terminology.
He smiled a smile that reminded her of a lion going in for the kill and had to fight the urge to back up a step.
If you win…no, not even win, if you get just one shot off on Marcus, I'll take you shopping and buy you anything you want within reason."
She looked Draco for a moment and smiled, but it was Draco who spoke, "you may want to amend the criteria, she's got mad skills." He said.
Adrian barked out a laugh and looked at the pretty little witch in front of him, "fine, you'll need to win by 100 points and 2 kills or kill him."
"And if I lose?" she asked getting excited to play.
"You have to go with me to every boring banking function that comes up." he said quite serious, he hated going to those things and having to find a date with no strings was a bitch.
She wrinkled her brow, she didn't like those things; she had been to her fair share after the war and continued to make appearances on anniversaries. Not to mention she disliked being the focus of attention for so many and she couldn't imagine that being on the arm of a wizard this pleasant to look at would allow her to remain in the shadows.
She sighed, "Fine." she deadpanned.
Adrian rubbed his hands together, "since we're gonna be here for a while, do you want to get comfortable, I'll have twinky make us some munchies." Pucey suggested and went to find her leaving his friends chuckling after him.
Once Draco turned around to find Mya and Marcus staring at each other he quietly followed Adrian.
"Princess, you look awfully pretty." He complimented moving closer to her.
She gave him a half smile, "thank you." she said softly suddenly shy.
She felt the heat of his body and looked up into his dark eyes filled with hunger. The look he was sending made her body tingle.
"You should apperate back to Hogwarts and change. He's going to have us play into the early hours of the morning. So maybe you should bring pajamas too." He suggested in a deep velvety voice.
She could smell him, masculine, clean – Sage. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure he could hear it.
He swallowed at the nearness of her small body. His eyes were darting around her face, her eyes so expressive, her flushed cheeks, those lips – so kissable.
He moved closer still.
They weren't speaking only meeting each others' gaze, he found himself staring at her lips – they were getting closer. He was bending down slowly, she rose on tip toes tilting her head up to meet his lips – they're eyes never waivering.
"Hey Granger!" Draco yelled stomping out of the kitchen.
The two bolted apart and looked at the blond who stopped dead in his tracks smirking, "We still haven't had that talk, Granger." He said, "Come on, let's go change."
***the return
Hermione and Draco had run up to their dorms and tore off the 'wedding' clothes and met back down stairs in record time.
Draco came down wearing Navy blue running pants and a white t-shirt that read:
You can agree with me or you can be wrong.
Hermione had bought it for him and he couldn't agree more. He was also wearing white sneaker and a black baseball cap. She thought he looked cute and handsome all rolled into one. The t-shirt stretch across his broad chest and emphasized his wide shoulders and narrow waist.
"Like what you see, Granger?" he teased.
She scoffed at him and turned to the door.
He took a moment to admire her lovely legs, from years of running; toned but soft. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts that made her legs long and lean cupping her firm little bum nicely.
Her long sleeve t-shirt was pink with two green clovers on the front that read:
Magically Delicious.
Her hair up in a pony tail she had pink flip flops. The apperated back with two bottle of Ogdens and yelled when Draco opened the door.
Adrian came out of the back to greet them with a wicked smile. His eyes devoured her where she stood. He opened his arms and embraced her kissing each of her cheeks, "Pretty witch, I hope you don't mind, but word got around that our resident swot was going to make a valiant attempt to beat the king of Modern Warfare, our own Marcus Flint." He told her in his sing song voice filled with mischief and walking her back to the play room with an arm touted around her shoulder.
She couldn't help but giggle, but took in her breath when she entered; there were four other wizards present that she didn't recognize and she was the only witch. All eyes were on her and she immediately felt uncomfortable until Adrian gave them a warning glare and Draco stepped protectively closer to her.
Adrian pulled her tighter against him and turned his head to whisper in his ear, "It's ok pretty girl, Marcus won't let anyone even look at you the wrong way or he would tear them apart." He pulled back to wink at her and saunter away.
Draco tugged her hand, "We can go back." He offered.
She looked at him a moment, "I can't lose that bet." She said smiling.
He returned her smile, "so competitive." He teased and nudged her.
Marcus walked out from his bedroom and paused for a moment when he saw her… or rather her lovely, lovely legs he thought.
He smiled and walked straight to her, "Ready? I feel kinda bad winning, you're going to end up listening to boring finance people chat you up for hours." he said his tone cocky.
She snorted at him and made her way to the controllers.
Hermione kicked off her flip flops and plopped down to pick her person and set her profile. Her call sign was LEO.
Draco rolled his eyes and Marcus and some others who knew she was all Gryffindor snickered.
Marcus arrogantly used his usual guy ICE MAN instead of creating a new one; he was that confident he would beat her.
She and Draco shook their heads at his assumption of victory.
An hour later found Hermione standing frantically controlling her guy; Marcus was up on his knees with the same amount of focus. Her legs were flexed in tension and the guys were shouting in the background at what they should and should not do, not that either of them was paying attention.
Finally LEO came hauling ass around a corner telling his team to cover him while he chases ICE out of the shadows.
ICE Shoots then runs for cover, but he wasn't fast enough, LEO threw a grenade knocking ICE to the ground, in the next second it was over, LEO was standing over a dead ICE.
She dropped the controller and jumped up and down with her hands raised in the air above her head.
Shouts and high fives were surrounding a very annoyed, but defeated Marcus.
Finally he smirked and pushed her to the ground telling her to shut it. She erupted into a fit of giggles that made him chuckle.
The games went on until midnight. Hermione had fallen asleep on the sofa curled up in one of Marcus' large sweatshirts.
It was all quiet, "Hey princess?" Marcus whispered, "Let's get you to bed." he said picking her up bridal style.
She immediately nuzzled his chest and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
He laid her in his bed and drew the covers over her, she didn't let go of him, "Hermione, you have to let me go." He said quietly trying to get her to loosen her grip.
"nooo." She whined and scooted over.
He sighed and as he was bent over awkwardly, he kicked off his shoes and crawled in next to her.
She 'hmmmm'd' when he settled beside her. He moved his arm around and she rested her head on his chest.
She threw her leg over his thighs and he groaned at the intimate position it put them in.
She was sound asleep and Marcus lay wide awake listening to her breathe, fighting the urge for his body to react.
Finally he drifted to dreamland with visions of a feisty little witch in his head.
