Hermione was not feeling at all confident, despite her immaculate appearance. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, in a slightly darker shade of brown than it usually was, and her formal dress robes were a deep moss green with black detailing, the Nott family ancestral colours. It hadn’t taken much to make her look like a relative of Theo’s, seeing as they weren’t too dissimilar looking to begin with. She had a slight glamour over her face, loosely based on Theo’s mother Zahra, and she’d added a few extra inches in height, just so Theo didn’t dwarf her as completely when they walked in together.
When Hermione had received Narcissa Malfoy’s letter only a week ago, she hadn’t really known what to make of it. She’d observed Draco’s walls returning recently, and upon reading that letter, she’d found out why. Strong ancestral magic ran through the Malfoy line, and if a Malfoy remained unmarried by the time they reached 25 years of age, the process was automatically begun to try and find them a suitable bride. Nevermind that Draco wasn’t unmarried, but widowed, but apparently the magic didn’t care that it had only been four years since Astoria had died, it was unacceptable that he did not have a wife at his age.
Her crush on Draco had been entirely unplanned and had hit her out of nowhere. He often brought his son, Scorpius, into her bookshop, and they’d been cordial enough, but they hadn’t really become friends until Harry announced that he was dating Theo Nott. With the somewhat left-field relationship becoming quickly serious, as Theo moved into Grimmauld after only four months of officially being together, it threw more slytherins in Hermione’s direction. She was determined to be supportive, as she could see how much it meant to Harry that everyone got on well, and so she’d tried to see the best in the people that had been her worst childhood bullies. She quickly got over any lingering resentment upon seeing how much fun these people were. There had been awkward conversations full of honesty and apologies, and once they’d worked through the past, Hermione had found good friends. Pansy Parkinson was as direct and honest as she’d always been, but it wasn’t malicious anymore. They had a standing brunch date every Saturday, where Hermione lived vicariously through the black haired witch’s tales of who she’d been dating that week. Blaise Zabini was larger than life, and made the best pasta she’d ever had. He was always welcome in her house, but only if he brought some kind of food with him. His grandmother had been an indomitable Italian woman, and had instilled a strong respect for traditional cooking in the wizard. Seeing Draco being a parent to his son had made Hermione realise that she’d never really considered the man as an actual person. He was more an idea, a concept that hated her, and she hated in return. With the war well and truly over, the person that remained was nothing like she’d assumed him to be. He was kind, fiercely loyal to his friends, and a truly excellent father. It also helped that Scorpius was a heaven sent angel child. The little blonde boy had the sweetest of natures, and Hermione had an incredibly hard time ever saying no to him.
She had been aware that something had been bothering Draco over the last few weeks, but she hadn’t wanted to pry in his private business. When his mother had written to Hermione, it had become clear that he was simply consumed by dread, because he was on the brink of a second marriage to somebody he did not love. He had respected Astoria, and they’d grown to be friends eventually, but it wasn’t a romantic match, simply business. With the ancestral magic activated, his prospects were bleak. Narcissa had begged her to enter herself as one of the women vying for his hand, ensuring that, whilst some trickery would be needed, her blood status would not be an issue. She’d told Hermione that all she wanted was for her son to be happy, and with the older witch being such a skilled legilimens, she was all too aware of Hermione’s affections, as well as the fact that they were not one-sided. It felt a bit like she’d read Draco’s diary without asking, but if she could finally act on her feelings and save him from a lifetime of misery, then that is what she would do. She needed help, and so enlisted Theo, as she knew that this sort of subterfuge was well within his wheelhouse, and they got to work.
Narcissa’s condition had been that they keep it from Draco, on the off chance that it did not go to plan. Hermione had been uneasy about lying to him, but as long as all went well, then she supposed it would be worth it.
“Thank you for helping me, Theo. I know this week has been, well, utterly bizarre.” She said quietly as they walked arm in arm around the grounds of Malfoy Manor.
“I’d do anything for my dear sister, you know that. But also, do you know how many points this has scored me with Harry? I’m in his good books for life, I reckon.” Theo grinned, and she swatted him lightly on the arm.
“Why ‘Cassia’ anyway? Is it a family name?” She hadn’t asked about her alias before now, and had been wondering why Theo had insisted upon it.
“It’s another word for cinnamon. Dearest Draco smelled it in his amortentia back when Sluggy made us brew it. I figured it was fitting.”
“Merlin, Theo, they didn’t put you in the wrong house did they? How terribly slytherin of you.”
“Through and through, I make no apologies.” He grinned again, and she shook her head, incredulous.
Pipsy, one of the house elves, then appeared a little way up the path they were strolling down.
“Mr Nott, Miss Nott, we are being ready for guests to be gathering in the Hall. If you’d like to be joining us.” The elf blinked away just as quickly as she’d appeared, and they turned around, making their way to the Hall.
“Do you think this is actually going to work?” Hermione asked, and Theo unlinked their arms to face her properly.
“Draco is arse over tit for you. He has been for longer than he’d care to admit, but I suppose that is his story to tell. Either way, all you need to do is be your lovely, charming self, and you’ll blow the rest of these vapid socialites out of the water. You already have the inside track with Scorp, even if he won’t know it’s you.”
She huffed. “I still think it’s not right to use Scorp like this. He’s a child, not a test to pass.”
Theo grimaced slightly. “In the pureblood world, he’s both. It’ll be fine, stop worrying. We’ll have this in the bag by the end of the day, just you see.” She took a deep breath before retaking his arm. She was about to present herself as direct competition to the beautiful pureblooded women who wanted to be the next Mrs Malfoy, and she was admittedly nervous. She supposed she just had to trust that she would, somehow, come out on top here. The magic would be making the final decision, and so she had to have faith that between her, Theo, and Narcissa, they’d done enough to play the system.
As was tradition, Draco was nowhere to be seen. Narcissa had explained that the magic would select the best wife for him, and so he could not form prior attachment, he wouldn’t see who he could have been with, only the final choice. In the large Manor Hall, Narcissa stood holding the hand of a terrified looking Scorpius. They watched as all ten women, and their assigned chaperones, lined up to be judged, as if they were prized cattle. The experience was terribly dehumanising, but she was doing this for Draco, and so she fixed her face as the other girls did, the very picture of demure class and grace. She wanted to comfort Scorpius, if she was honest. She wanted to drop the glamour and tell him that there was nothing to worry about, but she knew she couldn’t. He looked up at Theo, who offered him a friendly smile and a thumbs up, and he relaxed ever so slightly. Theo patted Hermione’s arm twice, and she wondered if she hadn’t been hiding her thoughts as well as she thought she had been.
“Welcome to Malfoy Manor, we are most gratified to have you all here. The selection process is all about family. It is very old magic passed down the generations, and my son and I are so pleased that you could all be here-” Theo snorted behind her, and she surreptitiously elbowed him in the side. “So that one of you might join our family one day soon. This is young Scorpius Malfoy, with whom you will be spending time today, but first I thought it might be nice to go down the line and have each of you introduce yourselves. This is not a competition, there needn’t be animosity between you. Shall we begin with Miss Macmillan?” Narcissa glanced at Hermione as she gestured to Ernie Macmillan and his younger sister. She’d recognised the hufflepuff immediately, and was quite surprised to see him here. He’d never struck Hermione as someone interested in this sort of thing, but she supposed that he was Sacred 28, and she didn’t know what sort of pressure they might be under from their parents.
“Mrs Malfoy, Mr Malfoy, it is very nice to meet you. My name is Sage.” She sounded incredibly sweet, and incredibly young. Hermione wondered just how young.
They continued down the line, with Hermione’s nerves building as each woman introduced herself, and either her mother or father that she had brought as a chaperone. They were all Sacred 28, but she had to remind herself that right now, she was too. Marion Flint, the sisters Alyssa and Clementine Fawley, Lavinia Travers, and Cecelia Avery simpered and smiled admirably, but it didn’t do anything to dissolve the unadulterated hope that settled in Narcissa’s eyes as she approached Hermione and Theo.
“Mrs Malfoy, Mr Malfoy, I hope you are both doing well. My name is Cassia, it is very nice to meet you. I believe you already know my brother, Theodore?” Theo bowed theatrically, and Narcissa was very obviously trying not to laugh and show bias. She simply nodded her head, but rested a gentle hand on Hermione’s arm before she returned to the centre of the room. It told her all she needed to know.
Hermione’s turn to speak to Scorpius came late in the afternoon, and Theo had long since abandoned her in favour of the Malfoy library. She felt for the little boy, who had clearly not wanted to partake in this nonsense in the first place, and she highly doubted that any of the pureblood princesses would have been the most natural of parents.
“Hello Scorpius, my name is Cassia.” She said gently as she entered the room he’d been put in. He looked exhausted, and was sitting on the edge of the sofa, arms folded. “Have you had a fun day?” She asked, sitting down next to him as softly as she could.
He shook his head, sticking out his bottom lip.
“Well, what would you like to do now? We could read, if you wanted to?” She was being slightly manipulative, as she knew this child well, but she was playing the game and was going to use every trick she had. He unfolded his arms, and looked at her suspiciously.
“You like the sound of that? How about we read your most favourite book, hm? I bet I can guess what it is.”
“Only Daddy and Mione know what my favourite book is.” He answered defiantly, and she chuckled.
“Ok then. What is your favourite book? Could we read it together, like you do with Daddy and Mione?” She asked gently, and he looked at her, seemingly considering her offer. He nodded, and shuffled back on the sofa, crossing his legs. She accio’d the book, one that she’d bought him for his birthday earlier that year, and held it up for him to confirm.
He smiled broadly, nodding enthusiastically as she laughed again and opened it to the first page. It was a muggle story about dinosaurs, something that the little boy had recently become completely obsessed with, and she knew it by heart at this point with how often he asked for her to read it to him. She briefly wondered what on earth the other women had done with Scorpius all day, but resolved to ask Narcissa later, giving the boy her full attention.
As she finished the book, she realised Scorpius was fast asleep, his body slumped against her arm. She softly called for Pipsy, who blinked into the room with a knowing smile on her face.
“Hello Miss Nott. How can Pipsy be helping you?” The elf asked, putting deliberate emphasis on Nott as she said it. Hermione wasn’t surprised she could see straight through the glamour, and didn’t bother maintaining any pretence.
“Could you take Scorp upstairs for me, Pipsy? I’d do it myself, but I don’t want to alarm anyone that doesn’t know who I am. Could you also let Draco know where he is?” She said, and the elf nodded.
“Of course, Pipsy will be doing all of that immediately. If Pipsy could be saying so, Miss Nott has been by far the kindest to the young master. Pipsy would not be sorry to be knowing Miss Nott better.”
“That’s very nice of you to say, Pipsy. Next time I’m here, I promise to bring you a new jigsaw puzzle, ok?” The elf smiled broadly, and nodded, before disappearing upstairs with Scorpius. She chuckled again at how ridiculous the situation was, and made her way back into the Hall, where the other women and chaperones were mingling.
Narcissa drew the attention of the room when she appeared again. She was about to speak, but noticed Theo’s absence, and raised a single eyebrow. Hermione shrugged slightly, and Narcissa shook her head, a look in her eyes that said she’d be speaking to Theo later.
“I want to begin by thanking you all for your patience. My son’s stipulation was that you all spend time with Scorpius, and so, whilst not the norm, that is how we have gone about this selection process today. The magic has taken into account Scorpius’ preference, as well as my own. Know that you are all truly pleasant young women, and I wish you the best of luck in your future marriages if you have not been successful today. I will now perform the final spell, after which, the chosen witch will have the opportunity to meet my son.” She took a deep breath as she drew her wand, glancing at Hermione surreptitiously. Muttering words she couldn’t recognise, and resolved to ask about later, blue smoke appeared above her, filling the Hall. The Nott family crest materialised out of the vapours, and the relief Narcissa displayed on her face was almost comical.
“Miss Cassia Nott, congratulations.” Narcissa said, reaching for Hermione’s hands. She smiled, and Hermione smiled back, containing her own relief that their plan had worked. She bore the dirty looks from the others well, as Narcissa ushered her into one of the sitting rooms off the Hall as she went to fetch Draco. She dusted her robes off with her hands, and perched on the edge of one of the chairs, nerves and adrenaline threatening to send her into a full blown meltdown. She was in the midst of forcing herself to breathe when Draco stepped in through one of the doors, his face set in the expression he kept for strangers that he didn’t like but had to appease. She resisted the urge to laugh.
“Hello. My mother informs me that you were the victor of today’s selection process. Whilst I offer my hearty congratulations, I must inform you that our marriage won’t be one of affection. I fell in love with someone a long time ago, and so whilst I hope that we can be friends, we won’t be husband and wife in the traditional sense.” It was robotic, as if he’d been practising what he wanted to say. He was also clenching and unclenching his fist, a nervous tick that very few knew he had. Hermione nodded slowly and his eyes tracked over her face. “My mother wouldn’t tell me your name.”
“It’s Cassia.” She replied. “Cassia Nott.”
“Nott? Theo doesn’t have siblings.” His face was cold and distant, but she was having fun now.
“No, I suppose he doesn’t. I was really relying on that not being common knowledge, you see. I believe you will find Theo ensconced in the library, presumably having made his way through your whiskey stash you keep above the fireplace.”
“Who are you? How do you know that?” He moved closer to her, but she ignored his question.
“Did Pipsy tell you that she took Scorp to bed? I read The Little Dinosaur to him and he was out like a light. I’m not sure he had the best time with the others today.”
“Yes, yes, she said. Sorry, what’s happening?” He was openly confused now, and she stood up, moving to stand right in front of him.
“And here I was thinking that you were bright, Draco Malfoy. There are only two people that know Scorp’s favourite book.”
“You aren’t her. There wasn’t a way around it, there was nothing we could do. I tried everything, there was no way around the magic.” There was a small amount of hope seeping into his eyes now, and she decided to put him out of his misery. She gave him her best Malfoy smirk.
“Who do you think I am, Malfoy? Who would you like me to be? I’ll certainly do my best to accommodate.”
“You know, if Cassia Nott is actually a real person, I’m about to offend you terribly. I’m hoping it’ll be worth the risk, though.” He whispered. He drew his wand, and gently bopped her on the head, whispering a finite. The glamour melted away, as did the few extra inches of height. She knew her hair would be back to its usual lighter brown, but that wasn’t what she was thinking about right now. She was entirely transfixed by the unadulterated love in the eyes of the man before her.
“Oh, thank the gods.” He bundled her into his arms, and she laughed into his chest as he buried his face in her hair. “Is this real?” He asked, voice muffled.
“I hope so. I’ve spent too much time conspiring with your mother this week for this to be a dream.”
He pulled back, keeping his hands on his upper arms. “What do you- Oh.”
“Legilimens.” They said at the same time, and she grinned before fixing a more serious expression.
“But Draco, what about the woman you’re in love with? Do you think there’s hope for friendship between us?”
He sighed heavily. “You’re the worst. You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
“Obviously.” She shot back, and he looked at his feet before looking at her again.
“Hermione, I am stupidly, irrevocably, and ridiculously in love with you, and the fact that I get to marry you now? That’s why I’m asking if this is real, because I am so acutely aware that I don’t deserve you, but I’m a selfish bastard, so I’m willing to take whatever I can get. You’ve been my best friend for a long time now, and you’re a natural with Scorp. Oh, by the way, I went up to check on him and he told me that his favourite person was the nice lady who read to him because ‘she smelled like Mione’, so he is entirely more observant than I gave him credit for. You know, I am slightly struggling with the idea that I now owe Theo for this.”
She smiled. “I was being serious before, he abandoned me hours ago. You no longer have a stash of whiskey in the library, I’d put galleons on it. I assume he’s taken that as his payment for pretending to have a sister all day.”
He snorted, before reaching for her hands. “Excellent news. But enough about Theo, could you maybe give me a reply to the stuff I said before I got distracted?”
She hummed, maintaining an air of indifference. “Oh, yeah I suppose so. I love you too, you idiot.” He pulled her back into a tight hug, mumbling into her ear.
“I’m going to marry the fuck out of you.”
“What a lucky woman I am to have found such a romantic.” She said flatly. He pulled back again and smirked.
“Damn right you’re lucky. Look at me, I’m a prime specimen.” She snorted.
“Good gods, we’re going to need to do something about that ego.”
“This is only going to inflate it, I’m afraid. I get to tell people Hermione Granger is my wife? I’ll never get tired of that. Seriously though, I was so scared that I was going to walk in here and find a second society woman that I was going to need to tolerate, knowing that I’d never get to hold you like I’ve been wanting to.”
She smiled up at him, placing her hands on his chest. His hands snaked around her waist, and she revelled in just how right it felt. “Perhaps you could show me everything you’ve been wanting to do, Mr Malfoy?”
“With pleasure, Mrs Granger-Malfoy.” She beamed up at him, and when their lips finally met, she dragged him closer, refusing to be parted from him for a moment longer.