Hi there, here is the second part I promised! I've written 3 of the 4 chapters already so I should be able to post everything this month but I can't make any promise since I'm at the end of my pregnancy and could give birth at any moment now! Fingers crossed :D

"You idiotic boy! Next time you decide to sleep with a Muggle girl, make sure that she isn't a Muggleborn who never went to Hogwarts! I don't know who this Hermione Granger is and how you met her, but the both of you are now married and your father knows about it so, for the love of Merlin, take her and her parents you know where before Lucius remembers about the Book of Admittance and comes after them!"

A stunned silence greeted the end of the declaration and Hermione felt her heart speed up as her mind caught up with what she had just heard.

She was married.

To Draco.

Her family was in danger.

She allowed herself a few seconds of silent despair before risking a glance in Draco's direction. If what she had heard was correct, then there was no time to lose, and he was the only one who knew what to do. Her friend – husband her traitorous mind corrected automatically – looked as shocked as she felt. He seemed to be processing the information he had just learned, and she could see his lips moving without making any sound, repeating the same word over and over before finally shaking his head firmly and reaching for her.

"Come on," he told her in a strange, tight voice, sounding nothing like the boy she knew, "we don't have much time before they find out where you live."

"Draco," Hermione said nervously, glancing at the window that opened on the street and trying to see if there was anything unusual happening in the neighbourhood. "Is this… is this true?" she asked. "Are we really married?"

Draco stopped on his tracks; his body as rigid as if he was a prey and she the hunter. He stayed still for another second before allowing his body to relax and answer, actively avoiding her eyes.

"I think we are, yes," he conceded. "But we'll have time to discuss when we're safe. Is there something you absolutely need to take with you before we leave?"

Hermione nodded, thinking rapidly and making a mental list of her possessions.

"A few clothes, toiletries, but most of it is still in my suitcase. What about Crooks and my parents?"

"I'll take him as well. When are your parents coming back?"

"Not before the end of the week," Hermione told him, and she suddenly breathed easier as she realized that they were safe for the moment.

"Then they'll be fine, we'll take care of them when the time comes. Anything else?"

Hermione shook her head quickly and she saw Draco take a long stick of wood from an invisible pocket. He pointed it at her wardrobe and she watched in amazement as a few clothes flew away from it and landed in her suitcase, quickly followed by her toothbrush and other products he somehow knew she would need. Then, he raised his wand a second time and floated and outraged Crookshanks right into his arms before grabbing her waist and making them take half a turn on themselves.

They apparated at the edge of a forest, and Draco felt Hermione push him away before she collapsed on her knees and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach. He crouched next to her and patted her back gently, murmuring words of encouragement before vanishing the traces of her sickness and helping her up. She looked embarrassed by her unexpected display but he quickly reassured her.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "It's not an unusual reaction for a first time, especially since you weren't expecting what happened."

"Are you saying that it gets better with time?" she asked, taking a cautious step with his help and tightening her grasp on his arms when she left her legs give away under her.

"Yes and no," Draco answered. "Apparition isn't nice, but you get used to it after a while. Most people prefer brooms, but we didn't have enough time for that."

She nodded, glancing around her and taking in her surroundings with a slight frown.

"Where are we?"

"Godric's Hollow," Draco answered, observing the village as well. It was late morning and no one could be seen from where they were hidden, but Draco knew better than to trust what he was seeing. "I need to disillusion us before we leave, I don't think anyone is watching this place but we can't take any risk. But first, read this," he said, summoning a paper from his Moleskin pouch before showing it to Hermione. "It will give you the location of the house since it's protected from intruders."

He removed his wand from his pocket and, after making sure that Hermione knew he did not mean her arm, proceeded to disillusion her and her suitcase. Crookshanks actually yowled when he tried to disillusion him as well and Draco immediately stopped his attempt. Given his reaction, the cat had probably seen the address and would therefore be able to meet them when he decided it was time.

"This is weird," Draco heard Hermione say. She was sounding nervous and intrigued at the same time, and he wondered what his reaction would have been, had he been in her shoes. "Is this hard to do?"

"It takes a lot of practice," Draco answered as he disappeared from sight as well. "And it's not always very efficient but it's better than nothing. Come on, now, it isn't far from here."

He took her hand and led them away from the forest, doing his best not to think of what was waiting for them. For him, especially, since he was the one responsible for the situation they were in. But, really, how could he have known that Hermione was a Muggleborn? Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary when he had met her, and Muggleborns were almost a legend now that they had been banned from the Magical World almost two decades ago, so he had never thought he could meet one by accident.

They reached the house in less than ten minutes and, after making sure that it was the right one, Draco made them cross the shimmering barrier he could see around it. At that precise moment, the front door opened and they hurried in its direction. They found themselves in a small, badly-lit corridor and Draco immediately reached for his wand when he saw a silhouette observing them from afar, but it was too late. He felt a non-verbal spell washing over them and soon, they were visible again, with a wand pointed at them.

"What was Dumbledore's last word?" the man, whose voice was modified, he asked.

"Please," Draco answered. "His last word was please."

The wand in front of him disappeared and the stranger stepped into view, unmasking himself.

"You took your time," Severus Snape complained. "It's a miracle no one followed you."

"We did our best, professor," Draco answered curtly. "I needed to make sure that her parents would be safe while we were away."

"They weren't with you?"

"They are on holidays until the end of the week, I assumed you would help me take the necessary precautions to make sure they were safe."

"The Order will," Snape said dismissively. "That's exactly the kind of mission they love. Now, I came here as soon as I realized what happened, but I can't stay long. You'll find everything you need in this house, including food that will last for at least a month. I assume your parents can't summon your elf?"

"Popsy was given to me when I was eleven," Draco said. "Now that I'm an adult, no one else can summon her without my consent."

"Good. I have nothing more for you at the moment, then. I'll come back in a few days for the Mark, hopefully what I have will be enough to get rid of it."

Draco nodded, understanding perfectly what he meant by that.

"Thanks again Severus."

"Don't thank me yet, Draco. This is only the first step, you still have a long way ahead of you," the man replied before turning away and leaving the house.

The front door opened and then closed, and Hermione suddenly realized that she and Draco were now alone in a strange house, about to have a discussion she would never have anticipated in a million years. She could hear Draco shift next to her, probably as nervous as she was, and she decided to make some small talk and lighten the atmosphere before trying to understand what had happened.

"So, where are we, exactly?" she asked, and she saw him relax slightly at the question.

"Godric's Hollow, one of the few villages in Britain where there's a rather large wizarding community living amongst Muggles. The house is… was the house of the Headmaster I mentioned," he said, sounding embarrassed. "Severus gave me the address just before we left the school. I think Dumbledore must have known what was about to happen to me and asked him to do it so that I had a safe place in case something went wrong. The house is protected by the Fidelius Charm, which means that only the people who had the address given directly by the Secret Keeper can see it and enter. In our case, it was the address that he or she had written on a paper."

Hermione nodded silently, absorbing the information. This Dumbledore seemed to have been an even more important man than she had first thought, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to his side now that he was dead.

"What is a Muggleborn? And how could that man be so sure that I am one?"

Draco had expected the question, she knew, and yet he still looked slightly uncomfortable when he answered. She fervently hoped that it wasn't because of what it meant for the both of them, but she needed answers if she wanted to stay in control of her emotions. Everything had happened too fast for her to really understand the consequences of her newfound status, and she knew having the data that she was missing was the first step to regain her usual, calm demeanour.

"I think we'd better leave this corridor and find somewhere more comfortable before talking about that," he told her. "It's going to take a while to explain everything, even if I give you the short version. Pospy?" he called and almost instantly, the small creature she had met the day before – an elf, she remembered – materialized out of thin air in front of them.

"The Master called for Popsy," the creature said. "Popsy was beginning to worry, Popsy heard what happened at the Manor and Popsy wondered if her Master was in danger."

"I won't be out of danger until I finally get rid of that stupid Mark," Draco answered, and the elf gave a disgusted hiss at that mention. "But it's getting better, I think. A friend provided us with this house, and we'll be staying here for a few days until things calm down a bit. Now, Popsy, would you mind…"

The creature waved its hand in the air, stopping Draco before he could finish his sentence.

"The Master is clearly unwell if he thinks Popsy doesn't know what is expected of her," it said derisively. "Popsy will get to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for the Master and his wife, and the Master will eat everything that Popsy brings," the elf instructed, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Of course," Draco replied, looking amused by the tyrannical behaviour of his small servant. "We'll be in the dining room, then. Thank you, Popsy."

The elf said nothing and disappeared from view, and Hermione stared for a second before turning towards Draco, unsure of what to think.

"Is… Is she always like this?"

"Oh, yes," Draco confirmed with a huge smile, the first she had seen since they had left her house. "But I like it, to be honest. She isn't shy to speak her mind, and I know she'll tell me what I need to hear even if I'm too afraid of the truth. Now, better find that dining room and wait for her and her breakfast, or I won't hear the end of it."

She followed him swiftly, accepting the hand he was offering, and it took them only a minute to find the room in question. There was an awkward silence once they had entered, and Draco let go of her hand and went to stand next to the table. He pulled a chair and then looked at her expectantly, and Hermione crossed the room and sat down before thanking him quietly. He mirrored her action and, as Hermione began to wonder what to say, the elf appeared at their side with various dishes floating around her and placed them on the table before leaving again. The both of them began to eat and fell silent once again, and it was only when Hermione had finished her second cup of tea that she decided she couldn't wait any longer.

"So," she said. "Muggleborn."

This time, Draco was prepared for the conversation, and he immediately began to tell her what she wanted to know.

"I told you about the war," he said, "and I told you about my side. I am what's called a Pureblood, which means that I am able to trace my magical ancestors back to the Middle-Ages and that my blood, and that of my family is considered one of the purest there can be. There are, or there were, two other groups of wizards. The Half-bloods, who are witches and wizards who only have one Pureblood ancestor, and the Muggleborns, who don't have any. The Muggleborns are, as their name suggests, coming directly from a Muggle family. Most of the time, they knew nothing of Magic before the government contacted them and represent everything the Purebloods hate: they don't have the same values, don't understand Magic the way we do and try to implement changes that are unwelcomed by most of the population. Almost two decades ago, a few years after the Dark Lord fell, the Purebloods working in the government were able to ensure that no new Muggleborn would enter our world. Three years after that, they implemented another law that forbade every Muggleborn from finding a job, forcing them to go back to the Muggle world. Since then, the few Muggleborns who tried to fight for their rights have completely disappeared. Some had enough contacts to get underground and continue opposing the government but the rest… Well, I try not to think of what may have happened to them."

Hermione nodded slowly, trying to ignore the wave of nausea that seemed to have taken over her stomach.

"So, I could really be one of those Muggleborns," she said. "But how can you be sure of it?"

"Well," Draco hesitated. "There's the fact that we are married, of course, but it's not the only proof that I can give you. I'm sure you can think of a few things, strange things that may have happened to you or to others when you were scared, or angry, and that you couldn't control your emotions anymore."

He paused, and Hermione was suddenly bombarded by years of memories she had tried very hard to repress in the back of her mind. She thought of all of those times when she had seen her parents look at her in worries, all of those times when she had scared her comrades at school, all of those times when she had wondered why, and what was happening to her and whats if everyone was right and she was really crazy?

"I can do, well… things, I suppose," she said, shocked to hear the bitter tone of her voice. "Have books move from my shelf to my desk, reshape small objects or change their colours, make things appear to my side when I don't remember where I put them… My parents never really understood, of course, and they were times when they actually looked as if they were afraid of me. So, I learned how to hide it, how to control it. Of course, there were times when I couldn't stop what happened but since most children had already begun to avoid me…" she shrugged, unwilling to continue, but she still needed to know one thing.

"There were times when I thought about telling you, but I was sure you would think I was crazy and stop talking to me. But, again, maybe it was a mistake not to trust you. You would have known about my status, then, and you wouldn't be stuck in that impossible situation right now."

She had expected a lot of reactions, but a bright, happy laugh was not on her list.

"Honestly, Hermione, I told you my story and you think that learning I'm now married to you is my worst nightmare coming true? On the contrary, I think it's the best thing that happened to me in a while," he grinned. "Of course, I'll understand if you are not as happy as I am, but if you just agreed to give me a chance to prove myself…"

"I haven't really… thought about it," she answered quickly, hoping she was convincing enough. It was a lie, she knew, and a bad one, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. Not yet, at least, not until she had had time to see how the two of them interacted together. "But I still don't understand how it's possible that we ended up married just by…"

"Sleeping together?" he finished for her, raising an eyebrow and visibly enjoying making her uncomfortable. "Well, we are old fashioned people, and marriage is usually sealed by consumption after a very long, very boring ceremony."

"But we never had that!" Hermione exclaimed. "And then, if it's only consumption, why couldn't it happen with a Muggle?"

"Well, first, or at least for the Malfoys, the other spouse must be a Magical being. We may say that we hate Muggles, but my ancestors made sure that they could still have a bit of fun when they wanted," he said, looking visibly disgusted. "Then, there's an exception to the ceremony. You see, if two people are well-suited for each other – and by that, I mean not just well-suited, but perfect for each other – then the marital bond takes effect immediately."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Hermione said. "What do you mean by 'perfect for each other'?"

There was a subtle change in Draco's stance, and Hermione saw that he suddenly looked more serious than he had been since the beginning of the conversation.

"Tell me, Hermione, what do you know of soulmates?"

"You've got some nerve to show up here," the witch said angrily. "What makes you believe that I am not going to curse you to an early grave if you try to come any closer?"

"Only four words, Minerva, and you'll be inviting me for tea," Severus answered. "I found a Muggleborn," he revealed, "and she's in danger."

There was a small gasp of shock, and he knew he had won the first round.

"You have exactly five minutes to explain everything, including what happened the last time I saw you," Minerva McGonagall said, opening her door wider so that he could come inside. "After that, I can't guarantee you'll leave this place with all your limbs attached."

Severus grinned.

Like the first part, the chapters are small & I don't go too deep into detail. If you want more information, please ask! I hope you understood the marital bond? The Secret Keeper of the house is Dumbledore's brother. See you next week :)

Krummbein