So sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out to you all. Covid has hit us all hard and it's hit my Mojo hardest. I'll try to do better, but for now, enjoy!

Apologies for those of you who came across the coded chapter – hopefully this fixes it!

Chapter Five

As Harry had expected, Lucius Malfoy turned up at the school threatening to have Harry expelled and sent back to his relatives for harming his son. He had Pensieve proof of the assault and yelled at Dumbledore for not dealing with the issue sooner.

"Well, Lucius, the issue seems to be that young Mr. Malfoy sexually assaulted Miss Granger yesterday evening," Dumbledore stated calmly.

Lucius scoffed and flicked his hair over his shoulder. "Hardly, Draco has already expressed his desire to have Miss Granger as his wife, it's hardly assault when he's marrying the girl."

Harry stood to the side and snorted. "Hermione hasn't accepted, and she won't do either. No one would lower themselves to being with your spoiled brat of a child, especially one who thinks it's perfectly acceptable to go around sexually assaulting others!"

"See here, boy! Don't speak rudely to those better than you!"

Laughing, Harry shook his head. "Sure thing, Mr. Malfoy. Whatever you say. Regardless, Draco is in the wrong and you know it. He has no right to put his filthy hands on Hermione in any way she dislikes. It's sexual assault, I'm sure the Board of Governors and Minister Fudge would be delighted to hear you're paving over that."

He saw Dumbledore's lips twitch and fought his own smile. "I believe that Mr. Potter has a point, Lucius. Draco does appear to have put himself in a bind. I will punish both of the boys as I see fit, unless you would like me to suspend Draco for sexually assaulting a young witch?"

Lucius' cheeks went pink and he thunked his cane heavily on the floor. "Obviously I would not want to besmirch the name of my son for the sake of a Mud-Muggleborn girl. Make no mistake, Dumbledore, if your little saint hurts my son again I will ensure his expulsion."

Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the laugh that built when he watched Malfoy give a dramatic flair as he turned and left. He knew Dumbledore was staring disapprovingly, but it was entirely worth it.

"Harry, I understand your desire to protect your friend, but you must be careful who you make enemies of," Dumbledore said with a sigh.

He looked at the old wizard and smiled guiltily. "I know, but let's be honest, sir. The whole Malfoy family have hated me since I was a child just for beating Voldemort."

Dumbledore's moustache twitched. "Indeed. Either way, please try to avoid Draco Malfoy for the time being. At least until Miss Granger has chosen herself a husband."

Harry nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir."

Before the door clicked shut, Harry went back into Dumbledore's office. "Sir, can I ask you something?"

Soft blue eyes met his. "Of course, Harry. What's on your mind?"

He shut the door again and sat on one of the stuffed armchairs. "Snape…I mean Professor Snape mentioned that if Hermione struggled to find someone, it would be an idea to step in and keep her safe."

Dumbledore steeped his fingers together and rested his chin on his thumbs. "It's an idea that has merit, Harry. Think of it this way, Miss Granger is a desirable wife for someone who believes in Muggleborn placement, and by that I mean how Purebloods view the Muggleborns status in society. She would be useful to satisfy the contract they would enter upon marriage, and once done, she would be cast aside as nothing more than a maid or Merlin forbid, a plaything."

Harry shuddered and chewed the skin around his thumb in worry. "I know, Malfoy has said more than once the things he'd use her for. She doesn't deserve that, no woman does."

"I agree very strongly with your thinking, Harry," Dumbledore soothed with a gentle smile. "But the Minister has gotten this idea in his head and it will take a very strong party to persuade the Wizengamot to think otherwise. That being said, this could take a long time to resolve, so Miss Granger is going to need to depend on someone that won't take advantage of the situation."

"So, you think that it would be better for Hermione to marry someone she knows and trusts?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry. I understand that Professor Snape may have given you a shock with that line of thought, but he is correct in thinking that Miss Granger would be well protected with you, or someone else she is close to."

Awkwardly twiddling his thumbs, Harry broached the next thing on his mind. "If I married Hermione, I'd have to have a child with her, wouldn't I?"

"Yes, Harry. The Ministry have set a two-year deadline in which you must produce one child, two children in five years and so on. You are concerned about this?"

He nodded. "Well, yeah, I mean, she's my best friend. The idea of…well, having to have sex with her terrifies me."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "This is a terrifying thing for any young witch or wizard that has not yet crossed that threshold."

Harry flushed red and coughed. "Erm, yeah. I…I guess I'm not sure I wanted to get married before I've even done anything like that."

Giving a conspiratorial smile, Dumbledore peered at Harry of his glasses. "My dear boy, wherever did it say that you had to be untouched before marrying someone?"

Realising he was right, Harry suddenly brightened and jumped up from his seat. "You're right, sir. Thank you for your help, even if it was awkward."

Dumbledore laughed quietly and shooed him away. "Go, my boy. Enjoy your time. Just think on what I said."

-oo0oo-

As the second week finished and they entered the third week since the announcement of the new marriage law, Harry found there was a monstrosity of a flaw in his plan to wait until the deadline before he would give Hermione the chance to pick him so she would be kept safe. And that was that he underestimated just how badly Malfoy wanted to get his hands on her.

Harry could not always be there to keep an eye on her, as he found out when Hermione was studying in the library and he was in another Occlumency lesson with Snape. The lesson was gruelling, harder than any he had every attended before, and as the evening progressed, Harry grew steadily sick.

After the fifth attempt to protect his mind, Harry had screamed in agony and collapsed to the cold floor. His scar bled, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and he battered the stones with his fists. Whatever had gone wrong, Harry was squirming in agony, his hands bloodied from beating stone, his face covered in blood from his scar.

He felt the cold fingers of Snape trying to alleviate the pain, shrinking away from the touch in fear. "Shush, Potter, I'm trying to help!" He whispered sharply.

Harry mewled in pain at the noise and curled on himself. "It hurts," he slurred. "Wan' sleep."

Arms shifted under his neck and legs, his body lifted in strong arms, the cool dungeon air on his face when the door swung open. He could hear Snape's boots as they hit the floor, the pace the fastest he had ever known the professor move.

"Stay awake, Potter," Snape murmured.

He groaned in pain, his body limp and heavy. "Tired," he mumbled. "I'll get up early tomorrow, promise."

Snape quickened his pace, the steady jostling indicating the Potions Master was now running. "Stay awake," the deep voice said more urgently.

Harry mumbled sleepily and snuggled his face into the firm chest. "Can't."

They stormed into the hospital wing. "Do not go to sleep, Harry!" He begged. "Poppy!" He bellowed.

Harry winced and jolted awake a bit at the booming shout, his eyes trying to peel open, but the lids felt too heavy. He heard Snape's frantic pleas to stay awake, but the beckoning darkness of sleep was too strong to ignore. Harry let himself drift and went completely lax in Snape's hold, his last conscious thought was Hermione waiting for him in the library.