Sometimes Draco wondered if being friends with his fellow Slytherins wasn't a form of Crucio within itself.
"You're going to marry Granger!" Pansy squawked, all forms of ladylike Pureblood manners that she had been raised to have going straight out the window. Draco physically winced at the shrillness of her tone.
"You can't be serious, mate. There's no way on Salazar's green earth that the great Gryffindor Princess would ever agree to marry you." Blaise shook his head. Draco was trying to find the right way to explain to his closest friends about the curse that was making all of this nonsense reality.
"That's what the Malfoy family tapestry has decided for me, Blaise, so I can't quite argue with it can I?" Draco countered, and his friends quickly realized the severity of the situation.
There was no denying the fact the Slytherins were aware of the Dark Magic that flowed through their individual family histories. Each lineage carried their own curses, in their own ways. Though Draco's friends were all too familiar with the tapestry that predicted the fates of Malfoys. They had all been made aware of it when they had spent time at the Manor in their childhoods. Pansy had even prayed to the gods above that she would be woven into the tapestry when she was a girl. Though now, she was quite happy with the fact that she wasn't.
"I thought you said that the tapestry's decision hadn't been made yet." Pansy said softly, her anger suddenly fading away.
"It made its decision the morning I turned eighteen. I'd just been charming it to say something else. Nothing else, actually." Draco admitted to his friends, who were all looking at him with sympathy and pity.
He hated that feeling. The feeling of being pitied. He didn't like that people felt sorry for him. In his own mind, he didn't deserve it.
Criminals don't deserve sympathy.
There was a stifling silence that had fallen upon the normally airy room. No one really knew what to say, which was unusual for the group of friends. Draco tried not to fidget aimlessly as he watched his fellow Slytherins, trying to gauge what their feelings were on the situation at hand. Theo was the first to finally speak again.
"At least she's hot. A little rough around the edges, yeah. Not anything that a little Narcissa Malfoy guidance can't fix." Theo mused, and Draco immediately shot his best mate an annoyed look. For some reason, the thought of other men finding Granger attractive made his blood boil.
"Quit being a bloody git, Theodore." Pansy scolded the chestnut haired Pureblood. Theo sent her a flirty smile, and Pansy rolled her eyes.
"He's not wrong though. Granger has, what's the word, blossomed?" Blaise offered, and Draco sent the young Zabini heir a similar look that he had given Theo.
"In all seriousness, are you okay, Draco? Obviously Granger has agreed to the arrangement, as you've stated, but are you sure that you're ready for what your life is about to become?" Pansy questioned the blond, who tried to carefully mask the discomfort that the question had caused him to feel.
"I don't really have much of a choice but to be ready for it, do I, Pans? I really don't feel like dying." Draco tried to make his answer seem humorous, but was only mildly successful. Pansy offered him a close-lipped smile, sandness filling her gaze.
"I guess we're going to be teaching Gryffindor's Golden Girl how to be a snake." Blaise chuckled, changing the atmosphere of the conversation to something a bit more savory. Draco couldn't help but give his friends a small grin at his proposition.
"I highly doubt Weasley and Potter are willing to let us corrupt their prized girl." Theo contemplated, and Draco himself wondered the same thing.
"She's marrying Draco. Associating with snakes is a part of the package. Isn't that right, Draco?" Blaise looked to the youngest Malfoy for support. Draco nodded, knowing good and well that no matter the circumstances, he and his friends were a package deal. Granger would just have to learn to like them, as he would have to do for her galavanting Gryffindors.
"To Draco Malfoy, the future husband of Wizarding Britain's most beloved bookworm." Theo raised his glass and toasted, causing everyone to laugh as he chugged the remaining alcohol in his glass.
It was in that moment that Draco realized that maybe, just maybe, everything would possibly be okay. At least for the moment. As long as he had his friends, his impending life with the Golden Girl wouldn't be so miserable after all.
—00000—
It was later that night when Narcissa Malfoy made an unexpected visit to her son, causing Draco to have a near damn heart attack. When the Floo in his living activated without warning, the young blonde nearly fell out of his armchair in surprise. Pansy, Blaise, and Theo had left hours earlier, and Draco hadn't been expecting any visitors. He also had not closed his Floo, much to his own regret.
"Good evening, my dragon." His mother greeted him as she stepped out from the fireplace. Narcissa made a quick glance of her dark purple robes for any remaining debris, and then looked up to greet her only child.
"Good evening, Mother." Draco bit out, trying not to seem annoyed at his mother's sudden appearance. He looked down to survey his own appearance, a bit thankful that he had the forethought to slide a soft cotton t-shirt over his head when he had changed into his pajamas earlier in the evening.
"I came to see how your lunch meeting with Ms. Granger went. You didn't owl after it occurred, so I assumed that something went awry." Narcissa questioned her son.
Always straight to the point, aren't you Mother?, Draco thought to himself.
"I apologize, I was preoccupied after my meal with Ms. Granger. I had some company when I returned home after my outing." Draco apologized, and Narcissa nodded.
"I am assuming this 'company' included Theodore, Pansy, and Mr. Zabini?" Narcissa asked. While Theo and Pansy were considered suitable company in his mother's eyes, Blaise wasn't Narcissa's cup of tea in the slightest. Most likely because Narcissa found Blaise's mother, Elenora, to be somewhat of a Galleon digger. After seven husbands, one does begin to wonder.
"Yes, Mother." Draco confirmed, and his mother wrinkled her nose at his answer.
"I figured. I can smell the alcohol, as well as Mr. Zabini's dreadful cologne."
"Pansy spilled her drink." Draco tried to explain. He had cast scourgify charm after his friends had left in an attempt to clean up the mess of Pansy's shattered highball glass, but the smell of the cocktail still permeated the air.
"Well, that is neither here nor there. My main reason for this unexpected visit is to find out the standing of Ms. Granger and the circumstances at hand." Narcissa's bluntness reared its head again, and Draco begrudgingly answered, knowing his answer was going to be more than satisfactory to his mother.
"Ms. Granger has agreed to marry me." Draco stated the truth simply. There was nothing flashy about it. There hadn't been a large proposal or spectacle. At this point, one could look at his and Granger's engagement like a business deal. Granger got the Dotis Nomine claim removed from her vault, and Draco got to not die. Fair enough.
Immediately a glimmering smile covered his mother's elegant face.
"Oh Draco, that's wonderful! I shall begin preparations at once. I will also invite Ms. Granger for tea as soon as she is available." Narcissa gushed. Draco gave his mother a halfhearted smile, feigning excitement. In reality, he didn't really know what to feel.
"Do whatever you please, Mother. Please be considerate of Ms. Granger, though. She might be a bit reserved when it comes to wedding planning. We haven't even discussed when we will publicly announce the engagement." Draco advised his mother, and Narcissa acknowledged in understanding.
"You will need to meet with both you and Ms. Granger's solicitors to sign a betrothal contract. It is necessary for magical officiality. Then you can decide on a ring from the family vaults. We will need to take it to a Cursebreaker first to be careful, of course. After that, we can have you sit for an engagement portrait before placing an announcement in The Daily Prophet." Narcissa listed out the checklist of customs that needed to be followed. She knew them like the back of her hand, of course.
"I assume Father is working on removing the Dotis Nomine claim from Ms. Granger's vaults?" Draco asked, and Narcissa shook her head.
"He is, from my understanding. Until that is cleared, which will most likely occur after the signing of your contract with Ms. Granger, we can provide any financial support she may need. I assume you have already informed your friends of your engagement?" Narcissa questioned, and Draco gave her a curt nod.
"Pansy already knew, as Leonidas has been spreading around gossip of our private family dealings. I would advise Father to have a word with him. As for Theo, he knew and Blaise took it well."
"I am glad they are supportive. I will let your father know to have a word with Mr. Parkinson." Narcissa confirmed.
There were a few beats of quiet before Narcissa spoke again.
"I am so proud of you, my dragon. I know that this is not what you expected, but I am just happy you get to be free. Finally." Narcissa spoke softly, lifting a perfectly manicured hand to brush softly against her only child's face.
"I know, Momma." Draco responded, using the term of endearment that he hadn't called his mother since he was in second year at Hogwarts. This moment was something that they never thought would come.
A chance for Draco Malfoy to live, unburdened by darkness.
There were a few soft moments of stillness before Naricssa pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I should be going. Your father is probably wondering where I got off to." The Malfoy matriarch made her way towards the fireplace, taking a handful of the Floo powder from the ornate silver box Draco had placed it in.
"Good night, Mother." Draco placed a simple kiss on his mother's cheekbone before stepping away.
"Good night, my dragon. I love you." Narcissa threw the powder into the fireplace, roaring it to life. She muttered the name of the Manor, and stepped into the flames. With a swirl of smoke she was gone.
I love you too. Draco thought to himself, before returning back to the book that he had been perusing before he had been interrupted.
—00000—
Hermione returned back to her flat that evening exhausted, and ready for a good night's rest. After closing her Floo network for the night, she gave Crookshanks his very requested dinner and quickly changed into her pajamas. Hermione was tidying the living room when she noticed the letter that was sitting on the window sill.
Quickly taking in the return address, she realized it was the letter that she had been waiting to receive from Mr. Whittlesbeak. Eagerly opening the letter, she scanned his reply with hungry eyes.
Ms. Granger,
I have received your letter, and have begun the paperworking needed to reverse the Dotis Nomine claim on your vault. I have also received a letter from one Mr. Antione Jespers, the solicitor of the Malfoy family. He has requested a meeting to begin the working of a betrothal contract between yourself and Mr. Draco Malfoy.
I will begin the paperwork for both issues immediately if you so wish. We will need to schedule a meeting with Mr. Jespers and Mr. Malfoy soon to sign the contract that is being drafted. To schedule said meeting, please contact my secretary, Mrs. Flanders, at your convenience.
If you have any questions or concerns, please owl me as needed.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Whittlesbeak
After reading the letter, Hermione let it fall onto the couch next to her, where she had plopped down to read it. Sighing, the realization finally hit her like a load of bricks. A betrothal contract.
"I'm marrying Draco Malfoy." She whispered out loud.
She had yet to tell her parents, who she knew were going to lose their minds when they heard. Especially her father. Todd Granger was not one for young marriage.
There were many decisions to be made. Like what ring would she wear? It would probably be something that belonged to a Malfoy woman from eons ago. Hopefully nothing too gaudy. Thankfully Malfoy had somewhat classy taste, and Hermione was sure that Narcissa would be involved in the ring selection process.
Not to mention all the details about the wedding. Invitations, a venue, the cake, and the dress. Hermione was good at planning things academically. Event planning was a different story. Narcissa would also probably be an expert at that, seeing as that is what she was raised to do. Be a Pureblood heiress who hosted parties and produced heirs. Hopefully, she thought, Malfoy will not expect that of me.
When she was married, she would not stop working. No way in hell. She would also be staying with the name Hermione Granger. Not Hermione Malfoy. Maybe Hermione Granger-Malfoy, if she really needed to have the Malfoy name. But just because she was getting married didn't mean she was going to change.
There was so much that was about to be happening, but tonight had been enough drama. Hermione needed to keep herself from spiraling, and she could do that by putting herself to bed forthwith.
Gathering up a very grumbly Crookshanks, Hermione made her way towards her lavender colored bedroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and braided her hair, making sure to secure the ends tightly with a hair tie. Hermione placed her wand on her nightstand and set her muggle and magical alarm clocks, and crawled under the covers of her double bed. Turning off her lamp, she shuffled herself to get comfortable.
Not knowing if it was a weird way of coping with the newfound stress of her life, or just something she needed to send into the universe, Hermione muttered something out loud.
"Goodnight, Malfoy." He couldn't hear her off course, but it was just the same in her mind.
With that off her consciousness, Hermione drifted off to sleep.