Thank you for your reviews and suggestions! I didn't find it necessary to wait until 9 o'clock tonight. I wasn't really surprised by the amount voting against the Marriage Law option, but I just wanted to check what you guys wanted before I continued. Thanks again!
"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked/ Money don't grow on trees/ I got bills to pay/ I got mouths to feed/ And ain't nothing in this world for free/ No I can't slow down/ I can't hold back/ Though you know I wish I could/ No there ain't no rest for the wicked/ Until we close our eyes for good…," – Cage the Elephant, "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked"
Blaise found himself lighter when he got out of bed this morning, felt much freer, even though he didn't do anything particularly freeing that he didn't normally do. He didn't spend too long going over his appearance, trying to find anything out of place that Daphne would disapprove of, and instead pulled on black slacks and a simple button down shirt. He thought about growing his hair out, maybe even developing some sort of facial hair before remembering that it only grew in certain patches on his face.
He hopped out of the lift with a whistle, choosing to walk all the way to Granger's office to try to sound as morose as possible and telling her that he and Daphne had decided to break it off, and that her services would sadly no longer be required. Unless she wanted to let him borrow some of those books, then she would gladly be appreciated. He wondered if she was enough of a bleeding heart to lend him some if he squeezed out a few tears.
"Hello, Mister Zabini," Jacob chirped, having apparently replaced the aging receptionist since his last visit, as the old lady and almost all of her lurid pink flowers were gone, save for one lonely little vase filled with the droopiest of the buds. "Miss Granger is already waiting for you."
"Thank you, Jacob, I can find my way," he nodded solemnly, although he was practically giddy on the inside. Draco had sent him the papers to sign just last night, as soon as he and Astoria had gotten home, and Blaise had eagerly signed and returned them so he truly was a free man. He knocked a couple of times on Granger's door, making sure to try to make them sound as lonely as he should have been feeling. She called out for him to enter, and he quietly stepped in.
She was perched at her desk, scribbling things as certain portfolios and books flew to their homes in her briefcase. Once he shut the door, she set down her quill and eagerly looked up at him before taking in his expression and faltering. "Blaise, is everything alright?"
He heaved a heavy sigh and dropped down into one of the chairs in front of her desk. Granger waved her wand to have objects quit zooming around in the air, and walked over to the front of the dress. This time she was wearing a black dress and a grey blazer, her hair still remaining in that constricting bun, and Blaise idly wondered if the woman owned anything with color.
"Daphne and I broke up," he explained, and Granger quickly donned a look of empathy. He thought this strange, as most people normally went with sympathy in these types of situations, but continued on. "I'm afraid there won't be a wedding for you to plan any longer."
"Oh," she seemed at a loss for words, and he was surprised that he had finally found a way to silence the Hermione Granger. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked after a few quiet moments, making Blaise blink at her. "Sometimes people outside of the situation and without close ties to those involved can be the best perspective." He looked at her skeptically, wondering if that were true, and gave him a sweet smile before batting her eyelashes, "I've been told I can be a fantastic listener, when I choose to be."
He snorted, giving a small grin back at her, amused that she was comfortable enough to joke around with him. He found it odd that they were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum, he a Slytherin who stayed in the shadows, and her a Gryffindor with all of the spotlight cast upon her, but he did find himself at ease with her. So he shrugged, sighed, and dragged his hand through his hair.
"We were just…too different, I suppose," he began, and Granger settled in as if she were his student and he were teaching a very important lesson. "Figured we could always work past it, you know? Find something in common to make a relationship. That whole opposites attract, right? But I guess we were opposites in all of the wrong places. She cared too much about a wedding, and not enough about what would happen after it. That we would be bound to each other for the rest of our lives, and expected to have children together. But no, if she got the perfect centerpieces and the right dress, then everything was magically perfect in her life as well."
"I see a lot of women come in here like that," she offered, settling her arms across her chest and nodding. "It boggles me that they care so little for the person that they supposedly love."
"Exactly," he nodded before shrugging, "So I broke it off. I think it was best for both of us, even if she doesn't think so now."
They were silent for a few moments, but it was comfortable and allowed them both to think. It was easy, to get lost in his own thoughts, and it appeared that Granger wasn't any different. She truly was the best listener, and took great care in what he had to say. He'd never really met another person like that, especially not if they didn't have anything to gain from the conversation.
She stepped forward, smiling at him, and rest her right hand on his shoulder, "I think you did the right thing, Blaise."
He paused before smiling back, resting his hand on top of hers, "Thank you, Hermione."
As soon as their hands touched, a white, warm light encircled both of their wrists before constricting and seeping into their skin. The two gaped at the light, at each other, and then back as the transaction slowly took place. Once the light faded and warmed them to the bone, the two were left to stand in the slightly dimmer office and stare blankly at one another.
"Was that an Unbreakable Vow?" Granger asked, her lips pursed together tightly.
"Yes, I believe it was," he agreed, eyebrows arched as high as they would go. The two slowly nodded before tearing apart Granger's office, protecting the books with charms as they searched and hunted for any third person. When her office was clear, the two took off down the hall – Granger surprisingly fast in her small heels – and rounded on poor Jacob, who had only been watering the dismal excuse for roses.
"Jacob, job on the line, did you cast any sort of spell in the last fifteen minutes?" Granger threatened, making Jacob immediately pale.
"Just a charm to get the stagnant water out of the vase," he admitted meekly, offering his wand to her. "You can check. Please don't fire me, Miss Granger, I love this job! Besides, I'm trying to help my sister start her business and – "
She quieted him with a quick "shush," taking extra care to examine the poor boy's wand. She whispered, "Prior Incantato," and the wand proved Jacob's words. She immediately relaxed, handing his wand back with an apology, and Jacob seemed relieved as well. "Jacob," she said urgently, and he perked up, "Is there anyone else in the building?"
"No, ma'am," he assured, "Just me, you, and Mister Zabini. The wards would have alerted us of anyone coming, and you cleared the morning to visit the Greengrass manor anyway."
Granger looked to Blaise, seeming to ask if he had any theories, and he pursed his lips and furrowed his brows before humming.
"I'm going to check on some things, I'll inform you if I find anything," he assured, Granger nodding as Jacob only looked puzzled.
"Be sure to send me an owl, I have irregular hours and I may miss a Floo call."
He nodded back, taking his leave and Apparating to Malfoy Manor. The gates opened and he marched in, his mind whirling as he tried to comprehend everything that had happened. He and Granger had been nice to each other, for one. They'd had some sort of binding spell cast on one another, and it was obvious that neither had cast it themselves. Jacob was proved innocent, unless you found cleaning vases of stagnant water a crime. He needed some help, possibly legal help, and burst into the foyer and immediately heading for where he knew Draco's office was. The house elf that had tried to intercept him followed, asking for his business, and he quickly barked it to him just as he was bursting into the office door.
What he saw should have at the very least startled him, but Blaise had always been a "go with the flow" kind of guy. Draco, Astoria, Lucius and Narcissa were all gathered on one side of the room, behind Draco's desk, and Astoria was crying and also glaring. On the other side of the room was Hubert, Lenora and Daphne, Hubert and Daphne looking positively proud of themselves, while Lenora only remained indifferent, just as she always did.
"What the hell is going on?" Blaise demanded, and Astoria and Narcissa immediately turned to look at him in concern.
"Blaise, I certainly won't have to warn you not to touch Daphne, but please refrain from letting her touch you," Draco sniped, glaring at the Greengrasses.
"You found problems with our original contract, so we whipped up another one last night," Hubert puffed up, trying to be impressive and falling short miserably of it. Daphne, however, danced over to Blaise with a wicked grin, making him tense and attempt to scoot away, but there was hardly enough room and he couldn't turn the doorknob fast enough. Daphne darted out with her right hand, almost as if she were playing tag, and quickly placed it on his with a gleeful shout. The room seemed to suck in a breath, pausing, and then looking in bewilderment at one another.
"Darling, are you sure you're using your right hand?" Hubert questioned as Daphne tapped her right hand to Blaise's again, making him dart away and rush over to the Malfoy side of the room.
"Yes, I am!" Daphne quipped back, her face beginning to go pink.
"Somebody tell me right now what the hell is going on!" Blaise barked, looking to Draco for assistance.
"Daphne and her bumbling father drew up new contracts for your forced engagement, one that would act as an Unbreakable Vow – highly illegal, by the way," Draco glared at the Greengrasses, the two in question looking highly confused. "All it would take for you two to touch right hands, and the words on the paper would act as the third party and bind you two together for life." Draco didn't seem to notice that Blaise was paling and staring at his right hand as he flexed and relaxed it. "However, it seems that they are as inadequate at the spell as they are at creating legal documents, so I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
"Let me see it," Blaise ordered in a quiet tone, one that made Draco look up and stare worriedly at him – well, as worried as Draco could ever look. Without another word, Draco handed him the parchment. For the next few moments, everyone stared as Blaise read it over, taking in everything before sucking in a breath and letting it out in a hiss of "Granger."
"Granger?" Astoria and Daphne both sounded, but Daphne took over once she began to become shrill, "What does Granger have to do with anything?"
"Because you two are so stupid that you forgot to put your fucking daughter's name in it!" Blaise roared, pointing at the paper as they flinched. Rarely did Blaise get angry, and rarely did he yell, but his blood was pumping so hard that it seemed to be the only volume he could manage. "Her name would only appear was the bond was made, and so any female who touched me would've been forced to marry me!"
"You touched Granger?" Daphne whispered, her mind trying to process her blunder.
"Yes – in an act of comfort over my broken engagement, she put her hand on my shoulder. I put my hand on hers to say thank you, and guess how fucking surprised we were to see an Unbreakable Vow put into place!" he growled, Draco hitting his head against his own desk as Astoria turned to face her family.
"How dare you! You had no right to do any such thing to Blaise!" she yelled, "Why can't you just let people be happy? Forget the propriety, the rules, the expectations! They only cause people to be miserable! Why can't you see that?"
The Greengrasses, on the other hand, merely glared at Astoria and said nothing more. This was a perfect example of a Pureblood practically disowning their child, and so Astoria hiccupped, slipped out a few tears, pushed past Blaise and exited the room with her mother-in-law following close behind.
"I believe that my daughter-in-law no longer wishes for your presence here at Malfoy Manor, and until she does you are no longer allowed on the premises," Lucius finally spoke up, causing the three to disappear into the fireplace they'd been standing in front of the entire time. Draco heaved a heavy sigh, eying the door that his wife had gone out of, but Lucius spoke again. "I'll see to Narcissa and Astoria. I suggest the two of you inform the Granger girl."
Blaise groaned and flopped into the chair opposite Draco, who hit his head against his desk, and Lucius merely rolled his eyes as he exited the room.
So much for being free.
Thank you for reading! Technically not a marriage law, but still – this was my other option! Oh, also, someone mentioned that I had already goofed up from the first chapter! Astoria is actually the youngest, and Daphne the oldest, but for the purposes of this story it's switched. (Because I'm too lazy to change it. Oh well!)
I hope you enjoyed! I would love it if you left a review!