Okay, so we're jumping forward a little here. We're between Draco's birthday and Hermione's in the year that they turn 10. Everyone's congregated at Malfoy manor because the Malfoys hold several gatherings over the summer.

"Aren't you excited for next year?" Pansy asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm younger than all of you except Astoria. My birthday's in September. I'm going to be a year behind you."

Pansy looked far too gleeful at Hermione's words. There was no doubt in anyone's minds that Pansy had her sights set on being Lady Malfoy in the future. But Draco had said that he had some say in the matter. And he had also said that he didn't want to be married to Pansy.

Hermione wondered if she had a chance. She wasn't from a noble bloodline. She didn't have a wealthy family or the prestige that the rest of Draco's friends had. She had talents that were considered especially well. And she was Draco's best friend. Even above Theo and Blaise.

Theo and Daphne already had a tentative betrothal. It wouldn't be finalized until they were fourteen and had decided that they weren't going to kill each other. If it weren't for that, Hermione figured that Draco would not have minded being betrothed to Daphne.

Hermione knew that the Greengrasses were still trying to draw up a betrothal contract between Draco and Astoria. And if that happened, Hermione would be devastated. She would be forced to listen to Astoria talk about plans between her and Draco. And he would put Astoria above Hermione out of duty.

Hermione didn't like that one bit. She wished that Draco didn't have to be betrothed to anyone. But it was tradition. And even if by becoming her friend he had started to break tradition, she doubted that his parents would approve of him breaking it further.

"What are you girls talking about?" Blaise asked.

"Just that Hermione won't be going to Hogwarts with us," Pansy said with fake sympathy.

"Of course she will. Draco said she had to be on the team with him," Blaise argued.

"What Professor Snape said was that Draco was a better chaser when I was on his side. And that it would behoove him to convince me to play as well," Hermione said.

"You know that Draco wouldn't care what Snape said. He just heard 'get her on the team.'"

"Well, he's going to have to wait a year," Pansy said.

"Hermione," Helena Granger said. "Mrs. Malfoy has something for you."

"Coming Mum." Hermione walked over to where her father and the Malfoys were standing. She was glad to get away from Pansy and her dramatics.

"There you are dear," Narcissa said. She handed Hermione a letter with emerald green ink on the envelope.

Hermione turned the envelope over in her hands a few times before opening it. She read it over once, then twice.

"Is this right?" she asked.

Both Narcissa and Helena nodded. They had petitioned Hogwarts for a few years and finally gotten an answer. But even though Hermione had only been allowed to attend Hogwarts with Draco because they were betrothed, they weren't sure it was the right time to tell them.

John and Lucius were insistent that the sooner the children knew the better. After all, Draco had known that he would be betrothed for several years. And Hermione was incredibly bright and had found that out not too long after she and Draco had been having weekly meetings.

"How?"

All four of the parents shared a look. It was time to tell them.

They herded them into a study, and the Malfoys set up some silencing spells. What they were about to share wasn't something they wanted all the other parents to know. At least not yet.

"What we tell you, you can't tell anyone," Helena said.

"Not even Theo and Blaise?" Draco asked.

"Not even them," Lucius said.

The Malfoys and the Grangers took turns explaining that while betrothals of binding properties were rare, they did exist. But ones that individuals created themselves were almost unheard of. They were more legends than anything. But Draco and Hermione had created one, without even knowing it.

They explained that there was nothing to be done. They would be married, but that they were still going through the motions of talks to avoid offending anyone. Especially since the Greengrasses were still determined to have Draco marry Astoria.

The plan was to reveal it when Draco and Hermione chose, but not before their first year of Hogwarts was over. Theo and Blaise wouldn't be surprised, but at least one year of school would give everyone a chance to see where such a betrothal might have come from.

"Fourth year sound good?" Hermione asked Draco.

Draco smirked. "I'm just glad that I'm not going to marry Pansy."

"Me too," Hermione said. "She was being awful. Saying that you couldn't marry someone who'd be in the year below you. But I guess we don't have to worry about that."

"You never had to worry about Pansy," Lucius said. "She's not the kind of girl we would want Draco to be marrying."

"And even if we didn't pick you, we couldn't have come up with a better match," Narcissa said.

Hermione blushed and dropped her gaze to her shoes. She knew that her parents weren't keen on the idea of her marrying anyone for any reason other than love. But she also knew that they liked Draco. She could have done far worse.

"Thank you ma'am," she mumbled.

"Can we go play again?" Draco asked.

Narcissa nodded and Draco and Hermione ran out to find Theo and Blaise. They'd been talking about playing two on two quidditch for most of the day and it was time to find the brooms.

"What did they call you in there for?" Blaise asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy wanted to tell me not to worry about Pansy," Hermione said. It wasn't a lie. They had said that. But she withheld most of the information. She still had two years to go before she was allowed to tell anyone.