Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It and any characters from the franchise that may appear in this fanfiction are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made from this story.
Author's note: Eternal thanks to my beta, GeekandProud (AO3) a.k.a. AnimeIsMyCrack (FF) who also made the cover image for this story.
! This chapter will switch perspectives between Draco and Hermione. The first and last part of this chapter will be written from Draco's perspective, while the middle part will be written from Hermione's perspective. I will add a small notice of this before each part by writing either DRACO or HERMIONE !
DRACO
- Malfoy Manor, 29th of July 1993 -
Draco's father had been more than just a little displeased when he'd learnt that his son had bound himself to Harry freaking Potter. That he had welcomed the Boy Who Lived into his family. What was next? Allowing the half-blood born to squibs to take the Malfoy name?
He'd especially been incensed that Draco had done it without the Head of House's permission . Deandra had mentally snorted alongside Draco when Lucius said that. If only the idiot knew that Draco could take control of the Manor fairly easily with Deandra by his side. His father had been stupid enough to not live by the pact their ancestors and the spirit of Malfoy Manor had made. One wrong step from Lucius, and he would be done for. To keep the peace, however, Draco would have to live with the fact that his father thought he was still the one who was making up all the rules.
Another shouting match had ensued between his parents after his father's little power display, screaming at Draco and even hitting him once with the edge of his cane. Damned that thing had sharp fangs. The bruise would luckily be able to heal quickly. Thank Merlin for magic!
His mother had lovingly put her hand on his cheek, wordlessly healing the small cut and immediately started a tirade against his father for daring to touch her son. What did Lucius care anyway? Harry was already bound to House Black, therefore, both she and Draco were considered his family.
Lucius had quipped back that as his wife and his son they were considered to be Malfoys , not Blacks.
Narcissa had seethed and told Tipsy to move her things out of their bedroom and into one of the guestrooms after that. Safe to say, his father was laying low for now and trying to keep his wife pleased, hoping she would soon return to their rooms.
That had been nearly four weeks ago. His father had mellowed a bit and allowed Harry and Hermione to come over to the Manor during the summer holidays. Currently, Harry, Blaise, and Draco were playing quidditch, making sure they kept training even during the break.
Sirius had also taken it upon himself to educate the boys and Hermione in politics, no matter how much he had hated sitting through these lessons when he had been a little boy himself. Sometimes Narcissa would help out. None of them wanted Lucius to come and stick his nose where it didn't belong. They all knew the elder Malfoy's view on politics, and none of them thought that cheating, lying, or bribing was the way to go.
Draco had been taught his whole life to become a politician, so he became sort of a teaching assistant in the instructions with Sirius they had three times a week.
Hermione, being as studious as she was, had gathered all the books she could find in the Malfoy and Black library about wizarding etiquette, pureblood traditions, and even betrothal contracts when she heard ' that ridiculous notion' still existed.
The past week, however, they had been free to relax since Sirius and Amelia were about to get married on August 1st. As the boys played quidditch, Hermione was lounging in the Manor's library. She'd wanted to be prepared for her new Arithmancy and Runes classes and had found some 'light reading' she wanted to catch up on during the summer. In addition, she had also met with Daphne and Severus and taken a trip to the Dagworth-Granger vault, Draco actually feeling quite miffed when he had been excluded. His godfather had grinned at him when he told him over dinner just a few nights earlier. Perhaps, if he truly wanted to learn more potion secrets, he should join them in their extra classes.
"You think Uncle Remus will continue being the D.A.D.A. Professor now that the curse on the position has finally been lifted thanks to the goblins and Bill?" Harry wondered as they were lazily passing a Quaffle around. They tried to keep perfectly still on their brooms as they did so, in order to practise both their balance and their aim.
"I hope so." Blaise sighed. "Your uncle might be the first proficient teacher we will get. He will probably have to get us all up to speed after these past two years. I did well on the theoretical parts of my exam, but the practical…" he shook his head, passing the Quaffle to Draco. "I have no clue how you guys even aced the practical. Seriously. I don't remember the last time I used my wand in D.A.D.A. class."
Draco caught the Quaffle with ease. What could he tell Blaise? That he had nineteen years of knowledge rather than thirteen? That Harry was a prodigy when it came to D.A.D.A.? The African-Italian wizard was right. They hadn't had a decent teacher during their Hogwarts years. In the first timeline, Lupin had been the only one to properly help all of his students in learning something useful. The last Draco had learned about Defence, or rather the dark arts themselves, was during the war. Most of those spells had been extremely dark in nature.
As he was about to pass the Quaffle to Harry, he felt magic pulling at him. ' Mione . What was she feeling ? Panic. Relief. Confusion. Disappointment. Longing . He absentmindedly threw the Quaffle straight at Harry's face, diving down to the ground as quickly as he could.
"Oi! Mate, what the bloody hell was that!" Harry yelled as he'd barely been able to dodge the Quaffle in time.
Not wanting to alarm his friends as they both started yelling at him for literally leaving them hanging, he shouted back: "I just have to take a trip to the loo!"
Both boys shrugged at him and continued talking about their new D.A.D.A. Professor and the electives they would pick the next year.
Draco ran inside in a hurry and Tipsy appeared right next to him.
"Master Draco should not be sullying the halls with mud!" She scolded, snapping her fingers so his shoes and the floor were cleared of mud. "If you are looking for Miss Dagworth-Granger, she is still in the library."
Draco nodded his head at the elf in thanks. What was up with her? Dear Merlin, please don't let his father have walked in on her and started one of his bigoted rants. His disdain for her being a half-blood born to squibs, honestly making her nothing more than a 'mudblood' in his eyes, was too much sometimes.
The blond hurried up a little, taking two steps at a time as he ran up the stairs. He nearly crashed into the doors leading towards the library.
Hermione was lounging in the same armchair he'd left her in two hours earlier. She'd seemingly summoned a pillow for herself, or perhaps Tipsy had brought her one.
She jumped in surprise, breathing hard, as he walked in, clearly not expecting him to show up. "Draco," she finally breathed out, a frown plastered on her face. "Is something wrong?" She put the book she'd been reading down on the table behind her. A bookmark floated into it so she would keep track of where she had stopped reading.
Draco shook his head at her and smiled. Thank Merlin she was alright. Her feelings had obviously calmed down, and she had not been hurt. It had probably been something in that damned book she'd been reading, getting her all excited. That girl really got too into her books from time to time.
"No, nothing is wrong." He said as he sat down on the floor in front of her, his legs crossed. He leaned his head back towards her as he made himself comfortable.
"Ew, you're sweaty." She complained as the back of his shirt hit her legs. Since it was a hot summer day, she'd been wearing flannel shorts and a loose blouse. Draco was certain that Tipsy had kept the heat in the library to just the right temperature to make sure that Hermione was feeling comfortable while reading.
He laughed and cast a quick scourgify on himself. "Just thought I would come and check up on you. You've been huddled up inside too much. Come outside and read in the sun, 'Mione. Spend some time with us."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're not trying to lure me into flying with you and the boys, are you?"
Draco held up his hands in defence. "Why miss Dagworth-Granger, I would never ."
Hermione had opened another book, seemingly deciding on some muggle fiction she'd brought with her instead, and gently tapped him on the head with it.
Draco, acting as if she'd actually hurt him, rubbed his head, making her laugh.
"Mother will take you, your mum, Amelia, and Susan to one of the best magical hairdressers in France the morning of the wedding." He said, trying to strike up a conversation with her. "I don't know what they will do with all that frizzy hair of yours, though…"
This time she kicked him in the side with her foot.
"'Mione, please, stop your violent ways. I was just kidding." He laughed.
"I'm sure you were, Malfoy !" She snapped at him, even if the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her true feelings.
For a second, he was in an entirely different time and place. He'd almost forgotten what his last name sounded like when she was displeased with him.
They were silent for a while, Hermione reading as he just enjoyed her company, his eyes closed peacefully..
"You've never told me why you liked reading so much." He mused out loud.
"Because, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione poshly began, "the person who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."
He chuckled. "Ah yes, Miss Dagworth-Granger. After all, a fondness for reading, properly directed, must be an education in itself."
"You did not!" She gasped at him. "You understood that reference? You've read Jane Austen ?"
"I- I had a friend who showed me her work, a while back." He confessed, not admitting that it had been his Hermione who'd piqued his curiosity after sitting under that tree at the Black Lake for hours on end, engrossed in an old copy of the muggle novel.
"I must admit, I'm impressed." She answered, as she flicked through her book again. "I've heard they are making a new movie about one of her works. Would you like to go and watch it with me once it comes out?"
"Only if you allow me as your best friend to escort you to the wedding," he replied.
"I thought that was a given." Hermione simply stated, not missing a beat even if he could see her blush slightly. She turned another page in her book. "Seeing as you've been playing my chaperone ever since the Yule Ball last year, I expected you were planning on escorting me either way."
"It's only polite and a show of good manners to ask a lady if she would accompany me to a ball," he answered. "I'm making no assumptions."
Hermione snorted. "A lady? Please wait another three years until I actually turn seventeen before you start calling me a lady . Technically I'm only an heir."
"Know-it-all." Draco muttered as he tickled the inside of her knee, making her laugh.
She started giggling and curling in on herself, trying to get away from him, her book falling to the floor. Her trying to escape him didn't deter him, however, and he continued tickling her until she was almost out of breath, begging him to stop.
Listening to her was his downfall as Hermione finally caught her breath and waved her wand, hitting him square in the chest with a tickling charm.
When Harry and Blaise came to find them to ask if they wanted to go swimming with them, both boys got caught in the crossfires, ending up on the floor as soon as they walked in. They laughed when two tickling charms hit them in the side at the same time. Oops.
HERMIONE
- Malfoy Manor Library, an hour earlier –
Hermione sighed as she looked around her, taking in the grandeur of the Malfoy Manor Library. How she wished she'd had access to as many books as this when growing up. How useful it would have been to have all this knowledge at her fingertips…
Not that she was ungrateful towards her parents, not in the least. Sometimes, she just wished that magic had not skipped two generations before settling in her once again. To grow up, learning of magic, would have truly been a dream come true.
At least her two best friends had provided her with ample resources to get up to speed, letting her read and borrow any book from the Malfoy, Black, and Potter libraries. The only issue was that she had nearly twelve years of catching up to do. Well. Six if she counted the years where she could read.
None of the books she had picked from the shelves today had truly caught her interest, however. She felt restless, and nothing would stick. Perhaps she should've taken Harry up on his offer to spend some time with him and the boys outside when they arrived at the Manor earlier today… How long had it been since Draco last came to check on her anyway? An hour?
She shifted in the armchair she was sitting in, feeling uncomfortable, when suddenly a pillow popped up behind her back. Where had that come from? Tipsy? Deandra? Honestly, the magic at Malfoy Manor always felt slightly odd to her. Nearly… Welcoming . She'd always assumed she just felt at home with her friends, but considering Lucius was such a git, perhaps that wasn't just it. Honestly, that man made the hairs in her neck stand up when he commented on her blood status or her family. No, it wasn't the family being welcoming to her. It was almost as if the Manor itself tried to accommodate her to the best of its abilities.
With another sigh, Hermione got up and stretched her arms and legs, even jumping up and down a few times. It would do her no good to keep sitting inside, perhaps she should- wait. What was that?
Right there, at the back of the library, there was a door . She couldn't remember ever seeing that before. Was she imagining things? Or had she never really paid it any attention?
She shook her head, and ever so inquisitive, she walked towards the door cautiously. Reaching out her own magic as Draco had taught her, making sure that there was no dark magic hiding behind there – this was Lucius Malfoy's home after all – she crept closer. As soon as her magic touched the door, it creaked open, giving her a glimpse of what seemed to be a study.
"A hidden room." She mused as she walked through, clearly seeing the runes etched in the doorframe now. Preparing for her Ancient Runes classes, she had started learning some of the basic ones, and she was sure that at least two of them meant 'blood' and 'family'. Well, that solved that conundrum. The room must have recognized her as a member of the Malfoy family. She only hoped that none of the runes would warn Lucius. She really didn't want to deal with him right now.
The study was quite small, and Hermione almost felt like an intruder when she took in the antique desk and the parchments spread out over it. She shouldn't be here…
With a sigh, she turned around, ready to leave, only to be met with a giant tapestry covering the whole wall next to the door she'd just entered. Having visited Grimmauld Place so often, she immediately recognised it for what it was. A family tapestry. This one belonged to the Malfoy family and went all the way back to Armand Malfoy. She couldn't help but stare at it in awe. There, nearing the top, was the muggle-born witch she'd heard so much about. Armand's adopted daughter. Hermione's ancestor. Celeste Malfoy.
She'd always wondered if the tapestry had gotten automatically expanded after she took her heritage test. It seemingly had.
Tracing the line down all the way to herself, even seeing her great-grandmother's name pop up, she squinted at the tapestry. There was a shimmer of magic, seemingly trying to hide something. Frustrated, she got closer to it, and gasped when she saw a silver line between her and…
No. No. No! Panic took over as she gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hand. This couldn't be real ? Could it? Merlin, how was this even possible? She and Draco, they were… No. She shook her head, her fingers still trembling in shock. The boys were probably just playing tricks on her, she thought with a sense of relief. There was no way that the two of them were married .
The shimmer completely disappeared now, however. The tapestry was no longer tampered with. But why had it been tampered with in the first place? And was this the true version she was seeing now?
She shook her head in confusion, trying to make sense of it all. The tapestry wouldn't be able to lie, would it? But then, why had Draco's father not done anything about this. No way he would want his son to be married to a half-blood . Was it the shimmer she'd seen then? Had the magic kept Lucius Malfoy out? But then who had put the magic on to hide the bond? Who would want to hide this, unless…
Oh .
Hermione felt her shoulders slump in disappointment. Of course. Draco . He'd probably known this was here. Maybe even asked Deandra to hide it, to make sure no one would see. And he wouldn't want anyone to see, because he didn't… Ugh.
She laughed out loud. Of course he didn't want to be married . They were just teenagers. He'd just turned thirteen and she was barely fourteen. How ridiculous of her to even think that he'd want to be married to anyone, least of all her.
But how had they even ended up being married? She'd read up on betrothal contracts, and she assumed that at some point in time Armand might have cast a spell on his family, making sure the lines would come together once more. Forced marriage wouldn't have been that much of a surprise a thousand years ago when he was alive. But still, it would have needed to have been grounded in something . She certainly had not given her consent to marry Draco.
Thinking about what to do, she figured that she would need to visit Gringotts. Have Director Ragnok figure all of this out. He'd be able to answer her questions at least. If they were truly married, it would have shown up on her heritage test, wouldn't it have?
She stared up at the tapestry one more time, finally noticing her own last name. Hermione Granger-Malfoy . How peculiar, that magic had recognised that she'd want to hyphenate if she ever did get married.
Still in disbelief that this could be real, she couldn't help but feel saddened. She'd known for a long time now that she had a crush on her best friend. He was ever the gentleman, however, and never made any comments about her obvious crush on him. She knew he was not as oblivious as Harry. He'd noticed her blush more than once, but he never acted on it. Perhaps, his perceptiveness to her and her magic, had never just been Draco. It had always been the marriage bond between them, pulling them closer. And if he'd known it was there all along, then no wonder he hadn't said anything to her… He probably wanted to get rid of it. Of her .
"Stop that!" She scolded herself. Ugh, these teenage emotions were way too complicated. "He's your best friend. If anything, he wants to do what is right . He would never force anyone into a betrothal, least of all an actual marriage . And he would certainly not force me ."
With a sense of longing, she looked at the tapestry once more, realising that perhaps, they simply weren't meant to be.
Frustrated tears threatened to run down her cheeks as she silently closed the door to the hidden office behind her. She was Hermione Granger, Heir to the Dagworth-Granger House. The brightest witch of her age. She could do without a stupid boy who didn't like her back, right? After all, he'd always been her best friend before anything else. And perhaps, that was just as well.
Startled, she realised that she could feel concern flooding her as she made her way back to the seating area of the library. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, her magic finding his so easily. He was running towards her through the halls. Had he noticed her emotions when she'd found the tapestry?
She smiled as she sat down in the armchair, taking up a random book she'd previously looked at. Of course he had felt her raging emotions. Now that she knew of the bond, she couldn't believe she'd never noticed it was there before. How easy it had always been for her to read his mood, to get him out of his brooding ways. It had always been the bond, ever since she had met him.
He nearly crashed through the doors, worry etched on his face, making her jump up in surprise.
Hermione looked at her best friend and felt her heart speed up, her breathing nearly getting caught in her throat. The boy she was crushing on was technically her husband . A voice in the back of her mind couldn't help but wonder, if he'd always been considerate of her because of the bond. Then did that mean their friendship… Was a lie? Had magic just forced him to be nice to her? No. It couldn't possibly be that. She knew him too well for that.
"Draco," she finally breathed out, frowning at her own confusing thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
As she put the book she'd been reading down on the table behind her, she noticed that once again, the magic of the Manor helped her by floating a bookmark into the book. Did it recognize her as the future Mistress? Had that been what all of this was about? The pillow? The bookmark? The welcoming feeling?
Her best friend shook his head and smiled, unaware of her inner turmoil. "No, nothing is wrong." He said as he casually sat down on the floor in front of her, leaning his head against her legs.
She smiled as she teasingly told him he was sweaty, desperately hoping that whatever bond there was between them, that at least their easy-going friendship was real.
Her suspicions were confirmed only a day later, as she asked to speak to the Director of Gringotts after visiting her vault to pick up some family jewellery she would be wearing to Sirius and Amelia's wedding.
The look of surprise on the Director's face was nearly more than she could handle. He'd known all along. He had hidden that bond between them on Draco's request when she took her heritage test. He confirmed that she was indeed, magically married to Draco Malfoy. How that came to be however, the Director himself could not divulge due to a magical vow he'd made to never speak of it. Seeing the worry etched on her face, the goblin smiled at her in a friendly manner.
"Young Mr. Malfoy has only been attempting to annul it, because he wants you to be free. He wants you to have a choice, Miss. Dagworth-Granger. You must never doubt his intentions. He has your best interests at heart, of that I can assure you."
She thanked Ragnok before she left his office and took comfort in his words. Now all she had to do was wait for the day the Director would send her a letter, confirming that she was free . She couldn't help but wonder, however, if her feelings for Draco would change when that day finally came. If it truly had just been because of the marriage bond that she'd started having a crush on her best friend, or if it had been because of her own volition.
DRACO
- Black Estate in France, 1st of August 1993 –
"Stop fidgeting and being so nervous." Draco chuckled to Hermione as he was guiding her towards their seats, her hand in the crook of his arm. Harry and Susan were already sitting down and had seemingly been offered some pumpkin juice by one of the waiters.
Trying to guide her to their friends, Draco got stopped by his Mother so she could adjust his bow tie or some other excuse that she came up with to not show anyone how emotional the wedding had actually made her. She was so happy that everyone had been complimenting her for planning such a beautiful wedding.
Narcissa hugged Hermione close to her, telling her that she looked stunning, before ushering both teens off to their friends.
Hermione nodded once at Lady Malfoy and swallowed hard. She had been extremely shy ever since she and Susan came back from the hairdresser that morning, showing off her deep yellow bridesmaid dress to Draco and Harry.
"You look beautiful." He whispered, trying to make her feel both more confident and comfortable. "Just stay with Harry, Susan, and I, and everything will be fine."
She smiled up at him, still nervous, and he squeezed her shoulder assuredly.
Merlin. He hadn't noticed how tiny she was, or rather, how fast he was growing until he realised he was already a head taller than her. Harry was close behind him this time around. Clearly, the damage that had been done to him as a child was undone thanks to the nutritional potions he'd been given in his first year. At this rate, the boy might actually catch up to Ron and Draco by the time they graduated Hogwarts.
Neville and Hannah arrived not long after, Susan's best friend and the Longbottoms also being invited to the wedding. They sat down next to them and greeted one another. Hannah complimented both girls on their dresses, winking that Hermione looked good in Hufflepuff yellow.
Draco inwardly thanked Merlin they hadn't ended up with the Puffs. Yellow was so not his colour, even if it suited 'Mione. He'd been wearing a yellow rose in his dark formal robes, however, to fit together with his date as custom demanded.
Once dinner was served, Neville and Hermione started conversing about herbology. The Gryffindor had finally succeeded in growing a potion ingredient Hermione had read about in one of the research folders she found in the Dagworth-Granger vault. The greenhouses at Longbottom Manor were perfect for growing rare magical plants, and Hermione and Neville had bonded over the efficiency of plants during dinner at Hogwarts one night. Ever since, she and Daphne took a weekly trip to Longbottom Manor during summer to help Neville in the greenhouses and to learn more about the plants' properties which could be used in potions.
Draco smiled remembering how his godfather had one time grumbled it was both extremely irritating but also enlightening when Hermione had sent him some of her theories on the use of aconite, commonly known as wolf's bane.
Trying to strike up a conversation with Harry, since Draco honestly could not be bothered with a subject as boring as herbology , he asked how everything had been coming along at Potter Manor.
Harry shrugged. "The elves were certainly happy to be out of stasis and to see me. Wrinkle, the head house elf, wanted to assign me a personal elf. I told her I would think about it. They weren't too pleased about that and tried to convince me otherwise, claiming they didn't have enough work to do around the Manor until Dobby showed up."
"He did?" Draco said, surprised. Even if his elf had been helping out at 12 Grimmauld Place, he didn't usually pop off without telling Draco where he was going.
"Yes, he was trying to rope the other elves into his pranks on the Dursleys," Harry chuckled, stirring his soup. "Should I tell them to stop? They've been suffering for a while now…"
"Ten years." Hermione interrupted them, having heard part of their conversation. "Tell Dobby he has a total of ten years to prank them. That's the number of years you had to suffer. It seems only fair."
Draco smirked at her and raised his glass of alcohol-free elven wine. She was becoming more and more Slytherin. Her cunning shone through much earlier. Who knew what the girl who once caught and kept Rita Skeeter in a goddamn jar for an entire week could do now that she'd been nurtured by her fellow Slytherins? Draco shook his head. It was best to never get on Hermione's bad side, that was for sure.
After dinner, Remus Lupin as the man of honour told a few embarrassing stories about Sirius, confirming that he had snuck into the Slytherin Common Rooms more than once, but apparently also the Hufflepuff one.
"What a sly fox." Harry whispered to Draco. "He always told me he and Amelia met at Auror Academy. Guess that one wasn't true." He smirked.
Neville, who had overheard Harry's comment, turned a deep shade of red.
Everyone applauded when Remus finished his speech and Sirius thanked him, clapping his best friend on the back. The groom then came with his own announcement, claiming that Amelia was three months pregnant with twins , already hoping they would turn out as mischievous as him.
Harry was asked to be godfather, while Susan was picked to be the godmother. Both children hugged Sirius and Amelia, while Remus congratulated them on the new Marauders that would soon be joining the magical world.
The happy couple then had their first dance as a wedded couple and Draco offered Hermione his hand, asking her to dance. She accepted and as they started dancing along with the others, they couldn't help but laugh at Harry stumbling around, nearly stepping on Susan's toes.
Sadly, the mood shifted when a Phoenix Patronus showed up. On instinct, Draco protectively stood in front of Hermione, and took his wand in his hand, urging her to do the same.
Everyone went deadly silent as Dumbledore's voice echoed through the ball room: "I'm sorry to interrupt, my dear friends. But Peter Pettigrew has escaped Azkaban."