A/N- Please keep in mind that this story is rated M.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR- The Wedding Night
Hearing the door unlock Hermione instantly stopped rummaging through Draco's things and waited for him to enter. She found nothing useful in her search and was crushed to find every door and drawer locked.
By the time they were both trapped in Draco's bedroom it was the middle of the night and the manor was silent. The wedding had been cleaned up and the moon shone brightly in the dark room.
Knowing that the Dark Lord was waiting in the attic, Draco began to unbutton his shirt. "You know we don't have to do this!" Hermione said to her husband. "You know full well we do. They took our wands, we can't fake anything," he said.
Once his shirt was off Hermione saw how pale he really was. His skin looked like milk in the moonlight, eerily beautiful and scary at the same time. "There is always a way," Hermione reasoned.
"I take no joy in this," he started. "If I fail, you have no idea how horrible the consequences will be… And if you fail, your parents are as good as dead." The words rang true in Hermione's ears but she was still terrified.
"Have you done this before…?" Hermione asked him quietly as he took off his belt. "Yes," he answered. "A lot?" she asked again. He bent down to take off his shoes and nodded "yes".
"You haven't, have you?" Draco asked as he slowly approached Hermione. She shook her head violently "no" and backed away from him. "Don't fight me," he warned. Hermione kept taking steps backward until she hit a desk.
"Unbutton your dress," he instructed her. Hermione continued to shake her head "no" and Draco was getting frustrated. He knew that Lord Voldemort would be waiting for them to be truly married.
When she wouldn't budge Draco finally lunged at her and began to tear buttons off. "Hold still!" Malfoy yelled. Hermione clawed and kicked at her husband who was having a difficult time undressing her with all of her squirming.
"Don't! Don't touch me! I am going to get you back for this!" Hermione shouted. Eventually Hermione managed to elbow Draco in his stomach and scratch at his face. In his anger he hit her much harder than he originally planned.
The blow sent Hermione down but she quickly stood back up ready to defend herself again. Her lip was bleeding badly and her face was sore. "If you keep fighting me like that I have no choice!" Malfoy yelled.
"You know we have to," Draco said as they played cat and mouse. Every step away Hermione took, Draco took one closer. She threw her shoes at him and tried to get her dress back on. "Fine, have it your way!" Malfoy yelled as he charged at her.
Downstairs Snape and Lucius were waiting in the drawing room. "That sounded like the lamp…" Lucius mentioned after a loud crash. The fighting upstairs was ringing out in the whole manor. Severus had his hands in fists and thought he might throw up.
"Can Narcissa hear it?" Snape asked. "I sent her to Bellatrix's. She should not have to hear this. She is much too delicate," Lucius said still observing the sounds on the third floor.
The two men sat for what felt like an eternity listening to Draco and Hermione battle. By the time four in the morning came around the yelling and crashing seemed to die down and the manor was silent again.
"Thank Merlin that is over with," Lucius said to a sick looking Snape. "Put your mind at ease, Severus. He has claimed her. You won't have to hear it while they are on their honeymoon," he said.
Upstairs Draco's room looked like a bomb had gone off. Lamps were broken, paints were torn and clothes were everywhere. Draco had just rolled off of her on the bed and went to find some pajamas.
The newlyweds were each battered and bruised but Hermione seemed to be the more broken of the two. "Are you even sorry?" Hermione spat at her husband, holding back tears. She would never give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
He thought about her question for a moment and answered, "You will thank me one day. Your parents get to live another day, isn't that what you wanted?" It was indeed what Hermione wanted more than anything but she did not want it to be traded for her chastity.
"Why," Hermione said to herself as she clang to his bed sheets. "Why what?" Draco asked still ghostly pale in the moonlight. "Haven't you ever wondered why he wants us to be married? Your kind don't marry mine," she said.
Malfoy ran back to her on the bed. She thought for sure she had said something wrong and he was going to harm her for it but instead he held tightly onto her arms.
"Listen to me! Never question that again. He is here, he is listening and if we begin to voice those thoughts we are both in trouble. Got that?" Malfoy whispered shaking her. Draco knew first hand the dangers of asking those questions.
"Alright! Please! Stop shaking me!" Hermione said trying to squirm free. His touch burned her skin and she wanted to be far, far away from him so she could finally cry.
Once Draco was convinced Hermione understood he grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed and threw it on the floor. He was exhausted after taking Hermione so violently and was ready for the night to be over.
Malfoy fell asleep within moments of lying on the floor, leaving a sore Hermione to stay up all night thinking of how robbed she was as silent tears drowned her pillow.