Hermione is sick of this
‘She’s the top witch in Hogwarts in over a century! ’ they say, ‘she helped Harry Potter and Ron Weasley take down the dark Lord! ’
The top witch, like she didn’t also top the marks of every wizard in over a century, even Tom Riddle himself.
She helped Harry and Ron, like she hadn’t done just as much, more actually, then Ron at least.
Harry she could understand, he actually killed the Dark Lord, but Ron and her were always with Harry together, in fact, Ron had left them for a while!
She grits her teeth, but makes sure nothing shows on her face, as she watches reporters clammer after Harry and Ron to get an answer to any of their questions like she’s not right there, the only one facing them and actually willing to talk, if not about what they want to know.
Harry and Ron are pushing through the crowd, heads down, Harry never having liked the fame, and Ron quickly getting sick of it after the praise had gotten old, that plus never being left alone and constant questions on why he and Hermione had broken up, for a month straight, well, he understands Harrys’ aversion a whole lot better now. She had been asked about their break up as well at first, but after continuously changing the subject to more important things, like creature rights, they had all started avoiding her.
Honestly! At least she had talked to them, which is more than any of them deserve!
She had managed to get rid of the werewolf registration, but only by having Harry talk in her stead. Talking about Remus and his part in the war, and Harrys’ disappointment in the ministry for treating werewolves like animals. She had basically written him a script!
He was happy to read it, even with his hatred for interviews, not only for her, but also his godson Teddy, they’re still unsure if he’d inherited his fathers’ lycanthropy or not.
Muggleborns were also getting higher positions in the ministry, though that wasn’t due to her or Harry, at least not directly. After the war, a lot of people became much more cautious of the purebloods, especially the darker leaning ones, whether they served Voldemort or not.
She huffs under her breath as the crowd of reporters continue moving after her two friends, Harry sending her a questioning look through a gap in their ranks. She shakes her head in reply, she can make her own way home away from these nosey assholes.
They had just had a war over this! And other things… but muggleborns had constantly been threatened or ignored, and yet she’s still ignored even after they won. It doesn’t help that she isn’t male. You’d think with magic the wizarding world wouldn’t be so far behind the muggles, but alas, most of them are bigoted idiots !
She rolls her eyes, turning to leave, only to see… Malfoy? A few of the reporters had given up on Harry, staying behind to talk to Malfoy instead, and seriously?! They would rather talk to a former deatheater then her? She’s about to storm off, when she actually hears what the reporters are asking him.
“Why did Harry Potter speak for you in court?” one asks, sounding incredulous.
Harry had spoken for him because he had only joined to protect his parents, why doesn’t he just tell them that?
“What was your time in Azkaban like?”
What-why would they ask that?!
“Why would they even release you?!”
That wasn’t even a reporter!
“No comment,” Malfoy gets out between clenched teeth.
“You’ve avoided public places where muggleborns are now free to go without threat, is this because you still despise them?”
‘Or maybe he avoids public places because you accuse him unjustly whenever he leaves his manor.’
Malfoy freezes, eyes going wide, muttering an almost unheard ‘Granger?’ under his breath, as the reporters all turn to her.
Shit.
She said that out loud, didn’t she? Well, she’d already started digging a hole, why not dig deeper?
“Harry, who was actually part of the war and saw what went on, has spoken for him, yet you believe you know better than him?” she asks, one brow arched like she’s seen McGonagall do to make idiots cower .
“Well—that’s—no—“ one of them starts to stutter, before a woman with a determined look in her eye steps forward.
“He may be innocent in that aspect, but do you believe he has gotten over his blood supremacy he openly talked about in school?”
“He was a child, a child who was raised to believe those things. That he has gotten over those prejudices that were drilled into him throughout his whole childhood is a thing to be proud of, not used against him at every given opportunity.”
Malfoy stares at her, mouth slightly agape, she had thought he had more control over his expressions then that.
“And how do you know he’s gotten over his prejudices then? That he doesn’t still despise muggleborns?” she smirks, like she thinks she’s cornered her.
And she… she doesn’t know If Malfoy has changed. But…. doesn’t he deserve a chance to try ?
…Merlin.
Hermione is going to help Malfoy.
She lifts her head high, looks the reporter dead in the eyes and says, “of course I know. I doubt he would be friends with me if he despised me.”
Malfoys’ mouth falls fully open at that, snapping shut a second later as the reporter starts to stutter like her colleague had.
“You’re… friends?” she finally manages.
“Yes, I had some questions about a potion I couldn’t find in any book, and he helped me. We’ve been friends since,” she lies easily. “Speaking of, M-Draco,” she only just manages, “do you have time to talk? I’m planning to make that potion soon and would appreciate your input.” Malfoy nods stiffly, taking the out. “Excuse us,” she finishes, turning and walking away, Malfoy beside her.
… now what?
They walk in awkward silence for a while, before Malfoy offers his arm to her. She takes it automatically, and frowns as she’s led into a fancy cafe. She sits as he pulls a seat out for her, almost scowling at being treated like this, but holds it down. She knows she has to get used to this, being treated like a lady like they weren’t perfectly capable of leading themselves, or pulling out a damn chair— she takes a deep breath. If she wants to get anywhere in the ministry, she has to deal with it, at least until she’s high up enough to start to change it.
“Why did you do that?” Malfoy asks, snapping her from her thoughts.
She blinks.
“You mean the interview?”
He narrows his eyes slightly.
“What else?”
“I meant everything I said—well, except for the friend thing. That was a complete lie. But how are you supposed to go out and prove them wrong if they harass you every time you do!?” she huffs as a waiter steps up to their table.
“What can I get you?” he asks.
“Chamomile,” Malfoy answers, eyes staying on her.
The waiter nods, before turning to her.
“Do you have Jasmine?” she asks, he nods.
“Those will be out shortly,” he says, before moving to another table.
She watches, curious, as two teapots at the back of the room lift up to pour tea into two teacups, which proceed to float over to land on the table between them. Huh. Was that a spell? She hadn’t seen anyone cast one. Maybe it was runes or—
“So, you were doing it just out of ‘the goodness of your heart’,” he deadpans, taking a sip of his tea.
“Why else would I have done it?” Hermione asks, taking a sip of her own, pleasantly surprised at the taste.
“If you wanted something in return?”
Hermione scoffs.
“And what, exactly, would I want from you?” she asks.
“Money?” Hermione gives him a look, “my family name for one of your projects?” Well, she wouldn’t be adverse— “A book from the manors library?”
Her eyes snap up. He chuckles.
“I see you haven’t changed,” he says, still smiling.
And Hermione doesn’t think she’s ever actually seen him smile. Smirk or sneer sure, but never a genuine happy smile, let alone a laugh that wasn’t mocking.
“I see you’ve changed a lot,” she replies, and regrets it a little when his smile drops.
“Yes, I… apologise for how I treated you in school,” he sighs, looking away from her. “I was so certain my father was right, that he could do no wrong, that by the time I realised… well, it was too late.”
“I accept your apology,” she answers, taking another sip of her tea as Malfoys’ eyes snap back to her, startled. “You know, what I told the reporter doesn’t have to be a complete lie,” she starts with a smirk. “We could be friends.”
“I… I’d like that,” he replies, a smile making its way back onto his face.
“Then call me Hermione,” she says, holding a hand out to shake.
He raises a brow at that, but takes her hand.
“Draco.”
***
“‘Mione!” Ron shouts, whirling around the corner into the library at Grimmauld place, where she’s currently sitting to read, Harry following him at a slower pace.
She lifts a finger for silence as she finishes her paragraph, the boys going silent, knowing better than to speak when she does that. She looks up a second later to a red faced, outraged Ron and a confused Harry.
“What?” she asks, looking between them with a raised brow.
“You’re dating Malfoy?!” Ron screeches.
“I—what? No, why would you—“ she starts, before her eyes land on the newspaper in Ron’s hand, her confusion immediately changing to annoyance, then anger.
Thereporter.
She holds out a hand, Ron handing it to her without protest at her sudden fury.
“Seriously?!” she hisses as she reads. “How did she take me literally saying that we’re friends as we’re dating?! ”
“Friends?” Harry mutters as Ron gapes at her.
“As of yesterday, he’s changed.”
“He’s—you—but he’s—he’s Malfoy! ” Ron splutters.
“Yes Ron, that is his name.”
“No! He— he called you a— that name !”
“In school, Ron, it’s been years and a war since then. People change.”
“What if he’s just pretending?!”
“Then I’ll stop being friends with him. It’s not a big deal Ron.”
“But… so, you’re not…” he gestures weakly at the newspaper in her hand.
“I already told you Ron, I don’t feel like that about anybody, it’s why we broke up!” she huffs.
Ron, no matter how many times she explains it, still doesn’t understand the idea of someone not feeling romantic or sexual feelings for anyone. He stands there now, the same confused expression as usual on his face as Harry rolls his eyes at him.
“I trust you ‘Mione, you read people way better than either of us,” Harry says.
She does, actually. Which is surprising since she was terrible at it at school, but since she’s swapped tracks on getting her ideas out there from throwing it in peoples faces to whispering it in influential ears, she’s gotten a lot better.
She rolls her eyes as Ron sends a betrayed look at Harry, turning back to the newspaper. And… huh. Her plan seems to have worked better than intended, even with the unexpected side effect of being mistaken as Mal—Dracos’ girlfriend. Because being friends with a muggleborn is one thing, but dating one? Way more likely to get people to believe he’s changed.
Hermiones’ brows furrow as her mind goes back to the conversation she had with Draco yesterday, an idea beginning to form along side a grin.
“Oh no,” Harry whispers.
“She’s got an idea ,” Ron whispers back, cautiously stepping away.
She needs to talk to Draco.
***
“I’m guessing this is about the article in yesterdays’ paper?” Draco asks once they’re seated at a small table on one of Malfoy manors' many balconies, two cups of jasmine tea and a selection of tea time snacks between them.
“No, well, yes, but no. I had an idea.”
He raises a brow at that, curious.
“Oh?”
“Yes, something that could help both of us.” Draco nods at her to continue, going to take a sip of his tea as she does. “We should get married!” she declares with a grin.
He chokes on his sip, and almost drops his cup as he coughs.
“You-what?” he finally manages after a minute of catching his breath.
“Marriage! It’s the perfect solution to both of our problems! You show your not a blood supremist bigot anymore, and I get sway with ministry!” she pauses for a reply, but when he just stares at her blankly she continues. “It wouldn’t be permanent, just til I can change things! When muggleborns are actually listened to, and women are treated more like equals. I can continue on my own then, and no one would think you were a bigot if your ex wife was literally a muggleborn.”
“…Married?” he finally says.
“Is that all you got from that?” she asks.
“No, I… I heard it all. It’s just… a lot.”
Right, most people see marriage as more than just a business deal.
“We can get divorced early of course, if you find someone you wish to marry,” she tries.
“Not if you do?” he asks in return.
“No, there’s no need.”
His brows furrow at that.
“You are so certain you won’t meet someone?”
“I am.”
He leans back, taking another sip of his tea, before, “okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Hermione grins .
***
They sit inside now, going over their plan.
“You’ve already made it seem that we’ve been dating, getting engaged soon wouldn’t be that big of a surprise,” Draco says as Hermione looks through the book on noble house marriage traditions he had gotten from his library for her.
“So you have to get me a piece of jewellery that matches your eyes?” she asks, looking up.
“Or you I.”
“I can?”
“Well, it’s not normally done, but it’s not illegal, and you said you wish to get women in equal standing to men, correct? This would be a good start.”
“ We are going to get along swimmingly,” Hermione grins.
Draco just smirks.
***
“So, creature rights, women’s rights, muggleborn rights, better understanding of the muggle world and… ‘pulling the world out of the fucking past if I have to drag them’ as you put it, that’s everything you plan to change?”
“Well, for now…”
“Can I make a suggestion?” Hermione looks up from her book at that, curious. “The laws on the old ways and dark magic-“ Hermione starts to frown, “no, listen. Dark magic has only been labelled as evil in recent years because of Grindelwald and Voldemort. The only difference between dark magic and light magic is emotion. Sure dark magic can be used for terrible things, but so can light magic, sometimes even more so, since you have to truly want to to use dark magic to harm. Light magic takes some words and a wand movement and you could kill someone.”
“Wingardium leviosa someone off a roof,” Hermione mutters, and Draco chuckles.
“Exactly, and like light magic being used to harm, dark magic can be used to help. Blood adoption for those who can’t have children, the rituals from the old ways to connect to magic, the patronus-“
“The-“
“Yes. It uses emotion, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll… could I borrow some books on it? About dark magic and the old ways I mean.”
Draco smirks.
“Hermione, we’re getting married, you’ll have access to the whole library.”
Hermione lights up, mind already whirling thinking over everything she’ll read.
***
Ring or necklace?
Does it matter? It’s going to be brown. Why couldn’t she have blue eyes? Or green ones like Harrys’! She bites her lip, looking over the options in the high end wizarding jewellery shop she’s in. It’ll be expensive too, or well, it would be if Draco hadn’t given her money for it, which feels a bit… weird, but there's no way she’d be able to afford one that’d be seen as an acceptable proposal gift to a Malfoy.
“Um, Hermione? Why are we here?” Harry asks from beneath a cloaks’ hood, not wanting to be recognised.
Ron just stares at a tiara in confusion. Maybe she could get Draco a tiara? She grins at the thought.
“‘Mione?”
Right, Harry.
“Well, I need a proposal gift.”
Now it’s Harry’s turn to look confused while Ron chokes on his spit.
“A what?” They both ask, Rons’ voice far more strangled than Harry’s.
“A proposal gift, a gift you give someone to propose, preferably a piece of jewellery the colour of your eyes.”
“Proposing…marriage?”
“Yes, Harry, marriage.”
“But… I thought you didn’t—“
“I’ll explain later, okay? Just… help? Please?”
Ron and Harry share a look, but like the amazing friends they are, they start looking through the options, Harry spending a good minute staring into her eyes.
They end up with a ring, a nod to her muggle side. It’s silver, with a smoky quartz at its centre. It’s far more beautiful than she thought a brown crystal could be.
“Thanks for helping,” she says as they arrive back at Grimmauld place.
“Of course—“ Harry starts.
“Explain? Please?!” Ron cuts in.
“Well, I’m going to propose to Draco.”
“You—What?! But you said-“
“Yes, I know, just—let me explain.”
The two go quiet, looking at her expectantly.
So she tells them.
***
They were hesitant, but supportive, trusting her and wishing her luck as she left to go to Malfoy manor.
She feels like she should be nervous, if not for the proposal then at least for the marriage, but she’s just… not. She’s more excited than anything else.
People will finally have to listen to her to avoid offending the Malfoy family, Mrs Weasley will finally stop asking her about getting another boyfriend, she’ll get access to a whole library of new books and, well, she actually really enjoys spending time with Draco.
After the discussion on their marriage, they decided they needed to spend some time together so they don’t fumble in public when asked about each other and actually ended up really enjoying themselves, truly becoming friends.
Hermione grins as Draco opens the door, blinking in confusion at her unexpected visit, then at her dropping to one knee and pulling out a small box.
She doesn’t think she could have found a better platonic husband if she tried.
“Draco Malfoy, will you marry me?”