The Rejection
Time froze for who knew how long for Hermione.
All she knew was she was in the living room of the house she grew up in, with the father of her longtime school nemesis, holding her hand as he proposed to her. Hermione had always been a driven and determined young woman, so when Lucius Malfoy proposed to her, she was taken aback, to say the least.
Her brown eyes looked into his gray eyes as he awaited her answer.
She finally responded.
"W-What?!" She asks.
"I said... marry me." He responded impatiently.
It took a moment, but she shook her head.
"No!" She shouted, feeling it was inappropriate for him to ask her to marry him. She pulled her hand out of his rather quickly. "Is this a sick joke?! Because it's not funny! You're a married man! You're old enough to be my own father for god's sake!"
Lucius glared at her, feeling rather insulted.
"You're being quite disrespectful and ungrateful, Ms. Granger." He said upon standing up and looking down on her, literally and figuratively. "After all, a mudblood like yourself should feel honored and lucky to be proposed to by a Malfoy."
Without thinking, her anger rose and this was her response.
The sound of a loud clap was heard as Hermione slapped his face with her right hand.
It took seconds to realize what happened, but Lucius held his left cheek have a slight burning feel as he lightly touched it with his other hand. He looked to see Hermione glaring at him with much hate in her eyes.
"How... DARE YOU!" Hermione was outraged. "How dare you use that slur in my home, where you are not welcomed! That alone would justify my anger but why would a married man would be proposing to me?! After all, ignoring you're bigot, you're also 25 years my senior! You have a wife that's just as elitist and entitled and prejudice as you are!"
"Not anymore..." Lucius said, eyes squinted in anger at her reaction.
"What?" Hermione asks with irritation.
"They're dead..." He said flatly.
It took seconds, but Hermione's expression lightly softened.
"Come again?" She asks.
Lucius inhaled deeply before letting the air out through his nose.
"They died... one week ago. An assailant broke into my home, no doubt wanting revenge for my time as a Death Eater. I had defeated him when he used some muggle bomb to blow up my manor. My wife and son were inside..." Lucius stopped, looking away and trying to fight back the tears.
Hermione's expression softened further, showing even a man she hated was not exempt from any compassion.
"Mr. Malfoy?" She asks.
Lucius held a hand out before taking a deep breath.
"In any case... I killed the murderer... but my family is gone. I have no other family... I am the last Malfoy."
Though Hermione was saddened to hear this, it did not stop her from remembering who this was as she took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for your loss." She said, trying to show sympathy despite the anger.
"You are? Didn't Draco cause you such pain?" Lucius asks, surprised to hear her say that without a hint of irony.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I, without question, hate y- hated your son. He was awful, rude, and just plain unpleasant. That said, I know he looked up to you, you and your wife loved him so deeply you were willing to betray Voldemort to save him. No parent should outlive their child." Hermione said.
"Awfully decent of you to say that." Lucius said with a small smile, despite Hermione's glare.
"That said, I'm questioning its relevance to me." Hermione said flatly as she crossed her arms. "I'm sad to hear this and even you aren't exempt from my sympathies, but not enough to stop being angry, now please tell me what this had to do with me before I insist you leave."
Lucius laughed slightly before taking a deep breath.
"Don't you know? A law you helped form and convince to pass?" He asks.
Hermione rose an eyebrow.
"A law?" She asks.
"One you suggested the last time you and your little friends visited the Ministry of Magic." Lucius said.
Hermione pondered. What could he be talking about, he wondered. Then it hit her.
"Wait... you mean...?" She asks, dread filling her.
Lucius nodded.
"The new law, one that you had supported, which stated that all former Death Eaters at my age must wed muggleborns in order to 'cleanse' my family of my crimes. Though I am granted amnesty because of my involvement, my reputation has... shall we say, sunk." Lucius said.
"That's a nice way to put it." Hermione said with a disdainful tone.
Lucius scowled at her before resuming.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I hated it. My family has been of pureblood since our name was formed. We took pride in who we were and what we did. However, this new era of mudb-" He saw the anger in her eyes flare up and decided to take back what he was about to say to keep her calm. "...muggle born acceptance no longer has tolerance for such things. I could go through paperwork, but I need an heir as soon as possible. I could seek a donor, as despite my thoughts of muggles, their decision to have children without parents could work, but I would never allow an illegitimate heir to my family lineage. Even though he hated the idea, I had to accept that it was the only way make sure the Malfoy name didn't die with me." He said before smiling at her. "Can you guess why I'm here now?"
"For... me?" She asks.
"I had decided that if I were to taint my family name by mixing our Malfoy genes with dirty blood, I want the best possible candidate. You, Hermione Granger, always had the most outstanding grades at Hogwarts. And I can see you have aged wonderfully at 19. You're young, lovely enough, intelligent and strong willed. All the find qualities of a Malfoy wife. The only downside that keeps you from being the perfect choice is your blood. However, you have everything else I would need of a pureblood." He said before getting much closer to her, grinning in her face. "So... you'll do."
Insulted and disgusted, Hermione turned her face away.
"A tempting offer..." She said with sarcasm. "... but respectfully, and I say that was as much sarcasm as possible, I must decline."
"Really? I checked your information. You are currently unmarried, making you fair game." Lucius said.
Hermione turned her head back to glare him in the eye.
"Well, I do not regret to inform you that I have already been proposed to by Ronald Weasley. So, you're too late." She said with a smile.
"Really?" Lucius asks, clearly not believing it as he glanced at her hands. "Where's the ring?"
Hermione's smile started to fall.
"I... it... umm..." She went, eyes darting away as she tried to find an answer.
"I can only think of a handful of reasons why you neglected to inform me of this earlier or show no such ring when I reached for your hand. You lost it, though you aren't clumsy enough for that. You have it at home, but considering you raced all this way and sounded excited when you came in, I can only assume it was for that reason and I doubt you'd have left it. And, judging by his family's funds, or lack of funds to be precise, it either was broken or he couldn't afford one. So... my dear future Mrs. Malfoy... which is it?" He asks in a condescending tone.
Hermione looked down, unwilling to look him in the eye.
"The last one..." She admitted.
Lucius scoffed with a mocking smile.
"Of course... clearly, even you deserve a husband who could bother to afford an engagement ring, which I already have for you." Lucius said, reminding her of the box her held.
Hermione, angered at his mocking of the Weasley family she was close to, clenched her fists and looked up.
"I also deserve a husband who loves and supports me! From what I've heard, you'd hardly do the latter when the former is what I need most! Besides, Ron assures me that once he has enough, he will get one!" She shouted at him.
"However, you are aware that without a ring, you are technically not engaged and I am free to court you and make my own proposal." Lucius reminded her.
Hermione, seeing his point, looked away.
"That's... true..." She said, finding his reasoning to propose her justified by law. However, her old Gryffindor bravery stepped in. "But you're forgetting that you and I were enemies! And you tried to kill me and my friends! And you sister-in-law tortured me and tried to kill me with a knife in your home! And you're clearly only seeing me as a means to have an heir! Let's not forget the fact that, again, you're old enough to be my father! Tell me, why in the bloody hell would I even so much as accept a kiss from you?! Much less be touched by you and give birth to your spawn?!" She questioned angrily.
Lucius smirked, almost as if he was waiting for her to say that.
"I'm glad you finally asked that, Hermione. If you married me, I would provide you with the money to pay for you education. Need I remind that despite my reputation being at its lowest, I still have the money you would need to pay your bills. Not to mention, you may use my resources to help your cause of muggleborn acceptance. Not only would it renew respect in the Wizard World for my name, but you would be able to help those who lost so much thanks to the Wizarding War." He said.
"A war where you and former allies had hurt innocent people." Hermione reminded.
"True." Lucius went, not caring.
"Again, tempting offer. But, as much as I see the use in your money and resource, I still have to say the cons outweigh the pros." Hermione stated.
"Is being my wife and having at least one child for me really all that awful?" Lucius questioned with a sly look on his face.
"Frankly, I'd rather have died by the basilisk, a creature from my second year that you helped free to kill muggleborns and Harry for you master." Hermione reminded.
Lucius seemed to treat her words like a joke, laughing it off and making her feel more insulted.
"Well, how about this?" He asked before he looked at her with demand and seriousness. "If you refuse to marry him, I would have no problem destroying your parents' little business of fixing teeth."
Hermione's eyebrows raised.
"W-What?" She asks.
"Oh, did they not tell you? I bought their building and threatened to raise their rent and leave them without a job if they said no. I am even willing start implanting memories of them molesting their daughter in others." He said, acting like he reveal white lie than a threat of ruining their lives.
"W-What? When did this happen?" Hermione asks.
"A week ago. I already have their "blessing". Granted, I had to squeeze it out of them but, I am old fashioned and wanted them to say yes." Lucius said with a faux-innocent smile and shrug. "I wanted it to be a surprise when I came to propose, having planned it a week in advanced. So, really, Ronald was too late to propose because you were already mine. He probably should have gone to them first, not that it'd help since he lacked the ring."
"Y-You can't do that!" Hermione said as she shook her head. "You can't harm muggles! The laws prevent you unless you want to return to Azkaban!"
"I didn't harm them physically. In fact, the law prevent any and all physical harm, that includes the killing curse. However, destroying their business and threatening to make them look like child molesters to their only child isn't physical harm, now is it?" Lucius questioned.
"Even so! You're still committing massive crimes!" Hermione asks.
"I haven't done any yet. And, legally, I can buy the building and boot them out. I will do it to any and all buildings they could go to thanks to money that you could spend on much more muggle-friendly things... if you married me, that is." Lucius pointed out.
Breathing heavy, Hermione stepped back.
Lucius Malfoy had the cards in his hand that determined her fate. If she agreed, she'd likely be stuck in that same manor she was tortured in, suffering a far worse torture of being married to and possibly raped every night by a former enemy until she at the very least gave him one child. If she refused, Lucius said he had bought the building her parents worked in and could destroy their business, as well as implant memories of them molesting their daughter.
Her parents clearly did not want her to be this man's wife, but in the end, it was Hermione who had to make the decision. She was faced with a moral dilemma; should she accept Lucius' proposal and help those who had been hurt by his former allies at the cost of having his children, or should she refuse, knowing that her parents' business would suffer and their reputation ruined?
Seeing the look on her face, Lucius stepped closer and alerted her of the shorter distance between them, making her step back. Lucius inched ever closer until her back was to the wall. His faced was now inches from her, terrifying her.
His head cocked to the side as he smiled slightly.
"You know... for someone with dirty blood, you are surprisingly beautiful. You've grown from the bushy-haired brat from that bookstore 7 years ago..." He said in an almost flattering tone.
"I..." Hermione gulped. "I need time... to think..." She finished with a whimper.
She needed time to think of a way out of this. How to avoid marriage to and being bedded by this man. To free herself and her family of him.
"Very well... I will give you a week to "think about it". Think about how... preferable being my wife could be. Just know... when we Malfoys want something, we will get it in the end." He said before looking down at her mouth with a smile. "And this... is a taste of our future..."
With that, he grabbed her by the shoulder before planting a kiss on her lips. Hermione, horrified, tried to shout at him, but her mistake in opening her mouth gave him the opportunity to insert his tongue into her mouth. He placed a hand under chin to keep her head up before grabbing one arm.
Horrified she was being French kissed by Lucius Malfoy in her childhood home, Hermione tried to pull away, but Lucius grabbed her wrists and kept them over her head.
She would have tried to fight or bite his tongue, but the cold look in his eyes made it clear that it would be a bad idea. She didn't know what he would do, but she knew it was wise not to try it.
For the next 20 seconds, Lucius forcefully kissed her, letting his tongue search the inside her mouth. Hermione closed her eyes and did her best to try and block out this violation until he finally pulled back with a satisfied grin.
"Hmm... I can get used to that..." He said, clearly enjoying her mouth.
Hermione glared at him as he let go of her. Still feeling insulted, she slapped him once more.
"How... DARE you do that to me! You call me the dirty blood when you force your mouth onto mine?!" She shouted.
Lucius, to his surprise, looked at her with a smile before laughing it off.
"If you were still a minor, I would have killed you on the spot for that. But, now that you're a legal adult and to be my wife, I find your ferocity rather attractive." He admitted.
Breathing heavy from hearing that, Hermione closed her mouth and gulped.
Not even that seemed to have upset him.
Lucius, seeing her distress, inched closed to her once more, making her flinch and look away.
"Tell me... how do you feel?" He asks.
"Violated..." She responded.
"I meant the kiss..." He pointed out.
Hermione kept her face down, not wanting to look him in the eye or be kissed once more.
"It felt... different from the ones I had before." She admitted, not admitting to hating it or liking it.
"Different as in better?" Lucius asks with an eyebrow raised. Hermione's glare into his eyes made him laugh. "Fine... you'll have a whole week to think of that too. Just know that in one week, you and I will meet in my manor. We will have dinner there." He saw Hermione's growing dread at returning to that awful place. "Well, if we are to wed, we may as well have a "first date" after all." He said before taking a step back and politely bowing. "Until then... my bride to be..."
With that, he walked out the living room and headed to the front door.
Once she heard him leave, Hermione wiped her mouth clean as her tears fell.
His mouth... She thought, trying to block the feel in her head.
Just then, her parents entered the living room and, seeing her distress, realized how she reacted to this.
"Hermione?" Her mother asks.
"One week..." She said quietly.
"What?" Her father asks.
"He will wait one week until I give my answer..." She clarified.
"One week? Can we find a way out of this in one week?" Her mother asks.
"What exactly happened? And what did he do to you?" Her father asks.
Hermione couldn't find the words to explain what had just happened, so she simply looked to the spot where she was proposed to by Lucius Malfoy.
"I need to find a way out of this."
Hermione's apartment
She sat at her desk, the events of tonight still flowing through her head.
The proposal, the threat, and the kiss. All things she wished she didn't experience, especially the latter.
With a sad huff, she wiped the tears off her face. She had been crying ever since she returned home, not even bothering to get dinner.
She had to tell Ron, Ginny and Harry what had happened in the morning.
That the law she helped support was being used against her, how her future with Ron would be taken from her, how she'd be the one to birth a new generation of Malfoys. Even though she saw their family's blood money could be used to help the world, sharing a bed with Lucius Malfoy sounded like a price too high even for that.
"What do I do?" She asked as she looked up, hoping an answer came to her.