I love Draco and Hermione conflict.

All rights to J.K. Rowling and appreciation to camnz.

Thanks to all the supportive readers and reviewers!

I am posting two chapters today, so make sure you read Chapter Thirteen too.

Chapter Fourteen- Wrong Wife

Draco leaned against the door and smiled slowly at his wife. She was fast asleep in flannel pajamas curled up next to the baby. Her dress from the party lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Draco stared regretfully at the dress, remembering the many times that he had been the one to hastily remove similar dresses. Draco knew that this baby had been hard on Hermione. He knew that he should be a better help, a better husband and father. He saw traces of tears on her cheek and knew that he loved this woman very much. He removed his dress robes, trousers and shirt. He slid into bed beside his wife, stroking her hair until he fell asleep next to the woman he loved.

Hermione awoke when the baby stirred. She lifted her from the bed and carried her to her starry night nursery, hoping that she would stay asleep. Then she stumbled back to bed, only to bump into ... Draco. She froze. Part of her wanted to reach out and pull him close to make everything right again. But part of her wanted to rant, rave, and scream at him. Oh, she was so angry.

"Granger..." mumbled Draco as he felt her stiffen in the bed beside him. His eyes opened sleepily. "Hermione, you were brilliant tonight. I really didn't think your presence would help matters, but you were bloody perfect."

Hermione allowed herself a small smile as she accepted the compliment. She thought it had gone rather well herself.

"Well, I hoped to fix the mess that I inadvertently created. It wasn't my intention at all to harm the Malfoy name."

"I know. Come here." Draco reached out for his wife, but Hermione was still stiff next to him.

"So, what is going on with Suzette? She's going to have to go, you know."

"Nothing is going on. I can't let her go, Hermione, she is saving my arse right now."

"No, that's my job. I'm your wife." When Draco didn't respond, she mumbled, "I remember Helen Parr saying something like that in The Incredibles." Draco chuckled. He thought the worst was over, but suddenly Hermione rose out of bed and began pacing the floor.

"Since when is a secretary so bloody important that you have to follow her all around at the party, sitting with her instead of your wife at dinner?"

Oh, no. Draco's anger was gone, but it was clear that Hermione's was just beginning.

Draco ran his fingers through his mussed hair and thought. How much could he share? Hermione continued,

"I agree that I performed Astoria well enough tonight, but the fact of the matter is, you and your parents grossly insulted me when you ignored me the entire night. You snubbed your own wife in front of pure blood society. That was not only inappropriate; it was incredibly hurtful. I am your wife. You stick by me when the going gets tough."

"Actually, you are not my wife, Hermione. I married Astoria, not you."

Hermione recoiled as if Draco had physically slapped her.

"What?" she shrieked. "What do you mean I am not your wife? What is this then?" She clasped hands with Draco until the silver bond of marriage swirled around their wrists. "I'm the best wife you have ever had and the best one you are ever going to get. I've given you five children and very happy memories, not to mention ten years of fantastic sex. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I married Astoria. The world knows that I've married Astoria. I've never married Hermione Granger." He was rather hoping the world would never find out.

"Are you saying that you want Astoria back? Is that what this thing with Suzette is? You miss Astoria?"

"No, love. You are the woman I want, but I think we should get married. We can renew our vows."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "How sweet," she said sarcastically. "Now you are all of a sudden very romantic after ten years of unwedded bliss. Let's drop the discussion about which wife you are married to and get back to the topic at hand. Why on earth would you need to spend the evening with Suzette? What kind of hold does she have on you?"

Maybe there was no enchantment blocking his affections. No spell. No potion. Maybe it was something rational. That was even scarier, Hermione thought. Her lips tightened. She wanted the truth; she wanted it now. And it had better be good.

Draco sighed. Hermione was, as usual, cutting to the heart of the issue. He had the feeling that she was not going to see his side. The outcome of this argument did not bode well for him at all.

"Why don't we get some sleep and talk in the morning?" he suggested.

"Why don't you tell me about Suzette now? Then we can sleep and talk in the morning," countered Hermione.

"Suzette came highly recommended from Mr. Parkinson, Pansy's father, and my father seemed to think that we owed it to him to try her out. Hermione, she has saved me money, time, and embarrassment. She has some great ideas for countering the damage Malfoy Enterprises. is going to see from Magical Parenting. She is a genius at suggesting tactics before business meetings. She's fantastic at sales. And she rather helped out tonight by gleaning information from people. Wizards were turning their backs tonight on me, too, Hermione, and I needed to know some things."

"Hmm. Sounds like you should make her a business partner. Or better yet, sell her the bloody business. I'd be happy to hand it over to her on a silver Malfoy platter," Hermione threatened bitingly. "Just tell her to leave you alone. I don't want her in the office with you. I don't want her at social gatherings with you. I don't want you dancing with her. If you two are not a couple, then you need to stop acting like one."

Draco smiled to himself. Hermione was jealous. It was funny because he knew that she had nothing to fear, but he respected those feelings, remembering when he had been almost consumed by jealousy and anger himself. Hermione had been the one who helped defeat all those ugly feelings inside of him. Now it was his turn to do the same for her.

"Come here, Hermione. It's you I love. It's you I want. Forget about Suzette."

"I'll forget about Suzette once she is gone. This is serious, Draco. We have another dinner party tomorrow night and I want to know what to expect."

"I can promise you that I'll stand by you the entire time tomorrow night."

"Okay then. That's a start. Now, what did Suzette learn tonight that was so bloody important you had to snub your wife for three hours?"

Draco drew a breath. "She learned that the Ministry is going to freeze all our assets on Monday morning. Malfoy Enterprises is to be penalized for funding a Wizard venture that supports integration with the Muggle world. Tomorrow I am going to transfer some funds so we have enough to live on for who knows how long? A month? A year? Hopefully, Malfoy Enterprises will survive this."

Hermione was shocked. "The Ministry? They can do that? Why would the Ministry freeze Malfoy assets over a magazine article? What about freedom of speech?"

"They'll probably pass a bill next week limiting freedom of speech if they haven't done so already."

"This. Is. Wrong." A viciously angry Hermione punched the air. She looked ready to pull her wand and fight Voldemort all over again.

"I know. I'm doing what I can."

"Yes, but what you can do is very different from what I can do. I'm going to fight this with every ounce of my being. I'm going to fight their abuse of power with a barrage of media. I'm going to call in Rita Skeeter."

"NO, Hermione! We don't want to make more waves! We want to calm things down, not make things worse! You can't do those things."

"I can, and I will. Doesn't Astoria have money too? Draco, I want you to withdraw all of Astoria's funds tomorrow. Let's open an account in a Muggle bank under Cassie's name. Then we will have money to print more issues of Magical Parenting Today."

Draco's heart began to sink. "No, Hermione, we can't print any more. This is the end of the magazine. When the Ministry sees that we will agreeably turn over the magazine to their control, then they will leave us alone."

"WHAT?" shrieked Hermione. "Turn over the magazine? To the Ministry? No BLOODY way! Over my dead body will I turn over my magazine!"

"Hermione, that is exactly it. I don't want to have a dead body for a wife. I would much prefer a living wife I can shag than a magazine I can read."

Hermione's lips twitched, and she calmed down. "Purebloods are that serious about keeping the Wizarding world separate from the Muggle world? We're talking death threats?"

"Yes, Hermione, I told you at the very beginning that this was a dangerous venture. I do fear for our lives right now. In fact, I think you should pack and take the children to your parent's home tomorrow."

"Draco, you know that I would do everything to keep our kids safe, right? Well, something happened to me tonight that changed me forever. You see, this magazine was about Hermione before tonight. It was about a very small contribution that Hermione Granger could make to better the world. I know that I have to be Astoria for the rest of my life, and I just needed to do something more with this life. But tonight, Draco, I discovered that this magazine has the potential to speak for voices that have been silenced. Do you see? It's beyond Hermione. It's beyond Astoria. It's beyond Malfoy Enterprises. The press must not be silenced."

Draco's eyes hardened. "Do I take it to mean that you are going to put this magazine before the safety of our children?"

"Yes, I do mean that. I will do everything to keep them safe, of course, but frankly, our children are privileged, Draco. Their chances of surviving another war, gods forbid, are much better than those children without a voice."

"What kind of a mother are you that you would endanger your own children?"

"The kind of a mother who wants a better world for her children."

"Hermione, I can't stand by you if you choose this path."

"Ha! You didn't stand by me earlier tonight, before I chose this path."

"That was for appearances."

"I knew it." Hermione looked disgustedly at Draco. Disappointment clouded her face. Tears came to her eyes. "You snubbed your own wife because you were concerned with appearances. We are back in the drawing room with Bellatrix threatening me and you standing by doing nothing because you are concerned with appearances."

Draco was furious. "I knew your forgiveness was too good to be true. Suddenly the past becomes your ammunition. How dare you suggest that I am doing nothing! I am protecting our family. Youare endangering our family. Let's keep our definitions straight here."

"Oh, no. You are endangering our family. Your secretary Suzette is endangering our family and our family's reputation. Get your priorities straight, Draco."

Just then the baby screamed from the nursery. Hermione snorted in disbelief. She marched to the door and yanked it open.

"I'm getting the baby. When I get back, you had better be gone. There is no way I am sleeping with youtonight. You are married to the wrong wife, Draco, and I am sorry for you."