The garden parlor was a pretty room. It was right by the garden and natural white sunlight lit up the creamy walls. Dark blue chairs were settled around a small dark wood table. A set of flowery teacups were arranged in front of the people sitting at the table.
Draco's mother sat across from Draco and Hermione. She was in a semi-formal blue dress and pearls. She had her arms and legs crossed as she stared at them, making them uncomfortable.
Hermione awkwardly brought her hands up to cup her teacup and looked at the settling tea leaves at the bottom. Draco looked at his hands, which were on his crossed legs. Mrs. Malfoy leaned forward and addressed them.
"So." She said it sharply, her eyebrows lifting up. "I'm assuming you are going to marry with or without my consent."
They didn't move. "But you won't be able to marry in peace." Her expression was amused, so different from what she was suggesting. "You know what I am capable of. And I will do the worst of my abilities to you if you decide to go on with this marriage."
Mrs. Malfoy stood up abruptly. "I can sabotage your wedding, I can murder that mudblood in her sleep, and I can kill your first child." Hermione glared at her.
Draco slammed his cup down on the table and rose from his seat defiantly. "Then I will protect her. I will protect my family that I am building. I am willing move away from here and do anything to prevent you from hurting us."
Her smirk disappeared. Draco continued. "You cannot do anything, you cannot affect me. I am not yours, Mother, I am my own person. I know you need me, and you are desperate to keep me here. I am the heir to this house, and you need me to continue the Malfoy family tree because I am your only son. But I am definitely willing to cut ties if this means harm to my fiancé Hermione Granger."
His mother interjected. "I am not yet done, young man. Listen, I have an offer to give you." Hermione listened attentively as Draco stopped talking to hear what she was saying. She lowered her voice and head as she gave in to them. "I will allow your marriage on one condition."
Draco and Hermione looked at her as she pronunciated her words slowly. "You must produce for me an heir to the Malfoy family in one year."
She smiled at their expressions. "I know you don't love each other. I am not stupid. I know you both are going to marry because you want to hurt me back. But I will not let you stand in my way. Produce an heir or enjoy a horrible marriage. I'll let you sleep on it."
Draco's mother disapparated without a sound and suddenly the room seemed larger. The boy and girl exchanged horrified looks. Hermione let out a strangled, "No!" and Draco fell back in his chair and took his face with his hands.
Hermione looked sideways at him with difficulty. She now saw him in a different light, as the father of her future children. "What are we going to do? Are we really going to take it?" Her expression was dark.
Draco straightened and faced her with bleary eyes. "Well, what were you expecting anyways? I was going to marry you. We were going to lead our lives as husband and wife, what did you think? We were not going to have kids?"
"No! Of course I don't want to have kids with you. I hate you!" she stated it as if it were a fact, and Draco took it without flinching. "I didn't think this through enough." She hugged her knees, shaking her head.
"You don't want to have kids?" Draco softly asked after a pause.
"I don't know, I always wanted to have a career before kids, and I never really liked them. And besides, I figured I'd cross that road when I got to it, with Ron, but look at me now, at 17 and marrying you."
Draco seemed a bit saddened at this, and Hermione noticed. She asked him in a less sharp tone, "What about you? Do you want kids?" She was genuinely curious.
He looked at his hands for a long time, then nodded as he said. "I've always loved kids. I still am one, you know." She smiled at what he said. He continued on dreamily. "I want to be a good father, and I always kind of imagined a daughter or son who looked like me and loved me, you know. I imagined that I would love them so much, and I would play with them all the time." Hermione gently nodded at this sweet statement of Draco's.
She never thought he would like kids, seeing that he was so rough and insensitive a lot. He smiled back at her, this time not playfully or mockingly, but gently and honestly, as if they were sharing something nice together.
She almost wanted to hug him just then, his sharp facial features softened by the gentle lighting and his own smile.
But something held her back, and she frowned slightly. For years, she knew this boy as a rude, cruel, annoying, and infuriating person. She wondered if she was willing to fall for him after all he said and did to her. She wondered why he was so likable here, and if it were a trick.
But as Hermione looked at this gentle side of him, she saw a 17 year old boy, almost glowing gold with happy thoughts, who deserved a chance at a happy life just like any other young wizard.
She looked into his eyes and grinned again, both confirming without words what they were going to do.