Out of Hand by relativelypositive
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I make no money from the use of J.K. Rowling's characters.
Chapter 26
Hermione watched in wonder as Draco blushed and paced.
"Do you think you have to wait on my behalf?"
"I told you about the fidelity charm. Would you rather I forced myself on you?"
"Of course not. I'd rather you marry a witch that loved you, that wanted to have your children. You may think I'm being stubborn about this engagement, but those are the same things I want for myself. We are not in love!"
"I know that! Here's what I don't think you're understanding: my marriage will never be about love. If you somehow find a way to break off this engagement my parents will marry me off to someone else I don't love. The huge difference is that if I marry you my life will be happy. I certainly won't be forced to become a Death Eater, I know my wife will be trustworthy, and we will love each other eventually."
"I am not a ticket out of your life."
"You kind of are."
"Are you telling me that you'll leave your family and friends? You can't just abandon everyone you care about!"
"My family is going to abandon me. I'll lose some friends, but for the most part they are good people that have seen the mistakes their parents made. We've grown up, Granger. Greg and Vince will do what their parents tell them for the most part, but only up to a certain point. I can't imagine them hurting anyone. And Blaise isn't in danger of becoming a Death Eater."
Death Eaters. Hermione knew some of her classmates' parents were Death Eaters, including Draco's. She'd considered the idea that kids her own age were going to have to make that choice soon, but she just couldn't believe that people that she'd been going to school with for six years would ever make the choice to become murdering sycophants.
"Draco, buddy, you shouldn't be talking so loud! You're taking all the fun out of eavesdropping!"
Blaise came out from behind a curtain across the aisle.
"Were you spying on us?" Hermione accused.
"Of course I was. Don't be daft."
"How long have you been there?" Draco asked.
"Since before you came in. After seeing your adorable smooch in the Great Hall I booked it up here so I could watch the fireworks."
"Oh, my God, don't you have any boundaries?" Hermione was astonished at the breach of her privacy.
"No. And certain subjects shouldn't be discussed where just anyone can hear you. At least use a Muffliato!"
Hermione felt chastised. Zabini was right. They shouldn't be talking about whose parents were Death Eaters out in the open. They probably shouldn't be talking about it at all.
Blaise performed the charm, then started talking again.
"You'll have to forgive my boy here, Granger. When I became engaged, his father threatened to dismember me if I told Draco a girl doesn't get pregnant every time she has sex."
"Of course they don't!" Draco protested. "But they could. That's why you wait until you're ready for children!"
Zabini have Hermione a suffering look. "The things I've had to keep from him. It's really broken my heart." He switched his focus to Draco, "Man, your father would never tell you this now, but there are both magical and Muggle means of having sex without there even being the possibility of making babies."
Draco was speechless.
Hermione was enjoying watching the two friends interact. They really reminded her of Harry and Ron. Ron was always explaining Wizarding things to Harry, and Harry was always telling Ron about the Muggle version of things. But this was unlike any subject her friends had ever discussed in front of her.
"Have you never wondered how I can have lots of sexy sex with Dalila and not have any children?"
"Yeah, but I figured it was just a matter of time. You were so happy with your engagement I guessed you would be happy with any heirs you produced."
"Well, that's true, but we take precautions."
"What precautions?" Draco asked interestedly.
Zabini glanced at Hermione and blushed a bit.
"Maybe that's a discussion for later," her responded, indicating to Draco that he didn't want to talk about it in front of Hermione.
"Oh, yeah." Draco looked thoughtful for a moment, and Hermione took the opportunity to ask a burning question.
"Who's Dalila?"
Draco looked surprised as he answered. "Blaise's fiancée."
"You're engaged? How did I not know that?"
Blaise answered her, "Because no one talks about their engagements. To be engaged while still at Hogwarts is considered a shameful thing. Soon after graduation my mother and Dalila's family will make a huge deal out of announcing it like it's brand new."
"There are others?"
Hermione was shocked. She had never, in six years, heard of a student becoming engaged. But now she was being told that there were more?
"Hermione," Draco said, "You didn't think we were the only engaged couple at Hogwarts?"
"We are not a couple."
"We kind of are."
"We are not. Stop it. Who else in engaged?"
"That's none of your business."
"Are you kidding me? If there are others in the same boat I'd like to talk to them!"
"Your friend Hannah Abbott is engaged to Roger Davies. That's why she's down in the Great Hall right now fighting for a Wizard Studies class."
"But they've barely dated! They're engaged? How did that happen?"
"How do you think it happened, Granger?" Blaise interrupted. "The same way most underage engagements happen. They got carried away."
"They had sex?"
"It's so hot when you say it."
"Shut it, Blaise."
Hermione smiled to herself. She found herself liking the boys. You could tell they were close and barely had to speak to each other to get their point across.
"Hey, tell me about this resurrection thing," Zabini swiftly changed the subject.
"It's this completely barmy idea Granger gave my mother. Apparently Muggles can kill themselves and then be brought back to life."
"Sounds like dark magic."
"Yeah. And it won't work."
Hermione didn't like the idea, but she was a little insulted that Draco didn't think it would work. She'd thought of it, after all, and she was rarely wrong.
"And why won't it work?" she challenged.
"Because even if the engagement was broken, I'd just find a way to become engaged to you again. There are a hundred sneaky ways, Granger. You'd never see them coming."
"What?"
"He's saying that no matter what, you're marrying him, Granger, so you'd best get used to the idea," Zabini interjected.
Hermione knew it was true. You could trick a person into becoming engaged. She was clever, but she wasn't a Slytherin. She wasn't used to looking for sneaky angles and devious plots. She didn't know how to protect herself, and she wouldn't repeatedly kill herself to keep breaking the engagement! That would just be insane!
Hermione felt herself start to panic.
She had assumed she would think her way out of this. She was willing to go to extreme lengths to undo this mistake, but she wasn't going to turn it into an exercise in futility. Draco was determined to make it happen, and Hermione was starting to see that it was going to happen.
"Well then, you get to tell your mother. She's already not happy with you. I can just imagine how unhappy she'll be when I won't do it either. You may think the idea is barmy, but I think it would have worked. You could have returned to your life."
"I think it best that I break off all contact with my parents."
"I don't want you to do that!"
"I don't think you understand, Granger. My parents may love me, but they would go to any lengths to stop this engagement. Including murder."
"I know your father would kill me, but your mother?"
"You're not the only one that they could kill to keep this from happening. My mother is still young enough to bear another child."
"They'd rather see you dead than married to me?" Hermione yelled.
"Keep your voice down!" Draco chastised.
"Blaise put up a Muffliato! I can yell all I want! Your parents would kill you?"
"The marriage isn't really the issue. The…issue would be the issue. Keeping the bloodline pure."
A/N:
Thank you to lunarcat12, Vukk, viki, giada, HermionenDraco368, ASJS, Somnus Verus, KodeV, brighteyes2889, eliza6801, Chester99, Tar-Silmarien, and JellyRain for reviewing the last chapter. It's the only feedback I'm getting, as I'm not using a beta. It helps me realize what I haven't communicated well enough and need to revisit, and what ideas truly surprise you. It makes me think over what I've written from a different perspective, and that is helping me craft the story. Thanks again.