The Strategic Idea and the Scandalous Scheme
Theo lay in bed feeling more overwhelmed than he had in the last year.
He’d abandoned his father and his family values to join his long-lost twin, and he didn’t want to have any regrets about that. Even if she’d been some less interesting witch than Hermione Granger – he’d never think of her as Hermione Nott – he’d choose her in his life over Thoros.
But thanks to his insatiable curiosity, she was now faced with a horrible choice: flee her world and her friends to escape the wrath of their father … or marry her rival. Who just happened to be one of Theo’s best friends.
He rolled over, wondering how he’d feel in a reversed situation where he suddenly had to marry Potter …
He shook his head. It wouldn’t be the same. He didn’t have history with Potter the way Hermione and her friends did with Draco. There was so much animosity there, one could cut it with a Diffindo.
Theo frowned to himself.
In the wake of caring for his sister, he realised he’d missed something rather obvious. He was no Hufflepuff, but he did care about his friends. Perhaps he’d long feared turning into a lonely, isolated hermit like Thoros, so Theo took care of the relationships he had.
He rolled back over. “Draco–?”
“No Theodore, I shall not harm your sister for fear of facing your deadly, brotherly wrath,” the blond replied sleepily without turning his head.
Theo snorted.
“I know,” he said quietly. “I actually … just– just wanted to make sure that you’re OK with this. It could get you in trouble.”
“How cute, you’re worried about me.”
“Don’t be a prick. Seriously, I know she didn’t have a lot of options, but …”
“If I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t’ve asked her,” came the mumbled response. “It’s less than ideal considering she’s Potter’s favourite witch, but I reckon I could do worse than a Nott.”
“I’m flattered.”
“Good thing she’s better-looking than you.”
“How dare you,” replied Theo lazily. “Just for that, I may not allow you to be my brother after all.”
Draco snorted lightly.
“Would you prefer Vince?”
“Not particularly … Shucks. Guess I’m stuck with you, then. Prat.”
“Git.”
A few quiet moments passed.
Theo thought about the Malfoys; they were less devoted to the Dark Lord than his own father, but would Lucius Malfoy willingly leave the Death Eaters, even for his son to have the perfect bride?
“Think your parents’ll let this happen?” Theo asked softly. “Considering … him?”
There was no answer from the other bed right away.
The compromise reached today had almost seemed too good to be true, Draco thought. He had a nice vision of his whole family hiding together in safety away from the war, the perfect bride at his side …
But now he realised: what would happen if the war went on for years?
Azkaban would’ve been Hell for Lucius, Dementors or no Dementors. There was little his father hated more than feeling powerless; perhaps Lucius wouldn’t agree to go into hiding at the mercy of the Order after all …
Not to mention, he and Granger probably couldn’t go back to Hogwarts. Some of the Slytherins had active Death Eater parents. He’d be viewed as a traitor to the Dark Lord for abandoning the cause. He’d already considered and accepted this possibility when he’d chosen to join Theo’s Grey Wizards, but he’d never intended to drag his parents along. His choice to marry Granger could cost Lucius much more than a schoolyard duel.
Was she worth it?
“Draco?” Theo prompted after a few more silent minutes.
“Father always said family is everything,” said Draco softly. “Makes us more important than HIM, I s’pose.”
“But still …”
“Still.”
“It’s a risk,” Theo said softly. “Much more for you than me. I’m gonna be branded a traitor anyway since I’ve turned my back on the old ways, but you haven’t done anything unforgiveable.”
“Not yet anyway.”
“Do … d’you know if the Dark Lord would punish your family if you married her?”
Draco thought a little more and suddenly realised he wasn’t so sure. Marrying her would bring down the wrath of Thoros Nott, but would it anger the Dark Lord?
He’d been religiously taught the Malfoy Family Rules since he could talk: Obey Father and Grandfather, care for Mother, use correct etiquette, do well in lessons, never insult a witch (Mudbloods excluded), make good business connections, and marry a witch of good family so the Malfoy bloodline would be protected.
Marrying Theo’s sister didn’t break any of the Malfoy Family Rules, but were the Dark Lord’s rules the same? As an underage wizard he wouldn’t be held to the same standards as his father, which was why Draco decided he could handle the consequences of being “Grey.”
But Lucius – a branded Death Eater – would automatically claim responsibility for his entire family in the Dark Lord’s eyes. Any fault of theirs would be a fault of his, and a direct offense against another high-ranking Death Eater would also be insulting to the Dark Lord. They’d have to go into hiding, then.
Draco blinked slowly in the dark room.
But what if …?
“D’you think Thoros already appealed to the Dark Lord about Gra– his daughter? Does he know who she is? Or does my father know?”
Theo hummed, unsure.
“I honestly can’t say. I’m not sure he’d go to the Dark Lord for assistance so soon after being broken out of Azkaban … perhaps he means to do so when he legally claims her, since he’d have the Aurors and the Death Eaters on his side.”
Draco bit his lip.
“Well, if the Dark Lord isn’t aware of her true family right now, the worst crime Father would be guilty of is marrying his son to a supposed Mudblood. If we don’t tell them, at least not right away …”
“Lucius pleads innocent to the Dark Lord,” Theo finished in a whisper.
“Father simply claims I’m stealing a valuable asset away from Potter. I reckon the Dark Lord won’t mind that at all, so he’d overlook the fact that I married Granger anyway.”
“Hermione,” Theo said softly. “Call her Hermione.”
Draco rolled over and pretended to go to sleep. He might be able to handle this insane plan, but he didn’t want to risk getting attached just yet. He had some thinking to do.
xxxxxxxxx
“I’m sorry, you need me to WHAT?” Hermione demanded loudly.
Her fiancée frowned at her.
“Look, Gran – OK fine, HERMIONE – I’m doing you a massive favour already, so I think you can do a small one for me in return!”
“I can’t just turn off my real feelings and suddenly behave like I’m in love with you!”
“It’s the only way to keep my parents safe!” Malfoy argued. “As far as they’ll know, they’re indulging their lovestruck son to marry his dream witch; they don’t need to know you’re Theo’s sister!”
Sirius had to stop Harry and Ron from leaping across the drawing room to pound on Malfoy a moment ago when he told Hermione she needed to pretend to fall in love with him.
The Gryffindors began yelling over each other.
“She couldn’t even FAKE that–!”
“–wouldn’t let you marry her!”
“–a slimy ferret!”
“Seriously, Lucius won’t–”
Hermione waved her hands in irritation to shush her friends and demanded of Malfoy, “If you don’t tell them the truth, they’re not going to let you marry me – a Muggle-born – particularly since you’ve belittled me in FRONT of them!”
“My mother’s only seen you in passing, at the World Cup; she won’t know you,” Malfoy argued. “My grandfather would’ve never let me near you, but he died nearly a year ago, so that doesn’t matter anymore. My father KNOWS you’re the brightest witch at Hogwarts, so he’ll make an exception to your blood status if I claim to be in love with you. We just have to play it up a little; we act like there’s other suitors lining up to claim you, and I’ll get Father to support the early marriage to make sure I get you first–”
“Ah, yes,” Hermione facetiously crossed her arms and nodded her head in a perfect show of sincerity that made Sirius chortle at her from across the room. “And pray tell, my darling fiancée, who were these many other suitors lining up to CLAIM me for their very own before you were brilliant enough to propose your undying love?”
He frowned but answered anyway, “Potter and Weasley already act like they’re in love with you, you dated bloody Viktor Krum, plus you’ve probably noticed Longbottom drooling after you–”
“He does not!” Hermione yelled.
Harry crossed his arms. “I’m not in love with her, she’s my friend–”
“–you’d be better than MALFOY!” Ron pointed out loudly.
Theo reminded them, “She has no other choice–!”
“Lucius isn’t gonna let him MARRY her if he thinks she’s Muggle-born–” Harry insisted again.
“… have to pretend to be in love with the ferret?”
“Draco will NEVER hurt her–”
“–Thoros could still try and kill her–!”
Sirius put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.
Malfoy glared at Hermione. She glared back firmly.
Theo rolled his eyes and quickly jumped in to save them from further spewing. Hermione had to co-operate … otherwise Draco might bow out. Though he and the other wizard weren’t the best of friends all the time, Theo refused to entertain the notion of becoming brother-in-law to the thick, womanising, Death-Eater-sympathiser Marcus Flint.
“Hermione, this is actually a pretty good plan,” he sighed as he pulled her onto the sofa beside him. “If the Malfoys don’t know you’re my sister, they’ll have no idea they’re doing anything against a fellow Death Eater, and they’ll be safe from the Dark Lord. Then they don’t necessarily have to stay in hiding.”
“I don’t like it,” Ron insisted with a frown. “If the Malfoys go running back to the Death Eaters, then Thoros’ll still find out about Hermione! Nott could make the Malfoys capture her for him–”
“They wouldn’t,” Sirius reassured the concerned redhead. “Once they’re married, and Hermione becomes a Malfoy, they’ll protect her with their lives. It’s what the Malfoys are known for: Family comes first.”
“But … but if the Malfoys don’t stay in hiding, they’ll just start acting like DEATH EATERS!” Ron exclaimed. “I thought the point of this whole Grey-Slytherin-Alliance was to get more of them on OUR side, but if they’re just gonna up and fight with You-Know-Who anyway–!”
“Weasley, the Dark Lord just broke my father out of Azkaban!” Malfoy interrupted. “If he disappears off the face of the earth, he’d be considered a traitor and the Dark Lord would start hunting us ALL down! I wouldn’t be able to go back to Hogwarts, and as my wife, Granger couldn’t either!”
Hermione frowned and exchanged a look with Sirius. She hadn’t thought of that.
“But if Lucius doesn’t know Hermione’s true identity, there’s no reason for the Dark Lord to punish the Malfoys,” Theo finished. “I know it’s bizarre, but it does make sense. Even if Father does tell them who Hermione really is, it’ll be too late for him to do anything about it anyway. Lucius is innocent of any crime in their eyes, so everybody’s safe.”
Harry frowned. “But wouldn’t Voldemort treat it like a crime and punish Lucius anyway ‘cause his son married a Muggle-born?”
“There’d be no need,” Malfoy said confidently. “For all intents and purposes, I’m not marrying a Muggle-born. I’m marrying Potter’s best friend.”
Hermione’s eyebrows went up. “Wait … you don’t mean–?”
“Yes,” Malfoy said firmly. “If you can convincingly act like you’ve fallen hopelessly in love with me, the Dark Lord’ll probably REWARD my father since we stole a valuable asset away from Potter.”
“NO!” Harry and Ron shouted together. Hermione’s jaw dropped as she stared at her pale fiancée.
Even Theo looked unsure.
“But Draco, she’s hated your guts for years. You think after one summer you two can waltz into Hogwarts all over each other and not raise suspicion? Especially if she suddenly abandons her best friends for a Slytherin?”
“I dunno,” Malfoy said with a slight leer in Hermione’s direction. “Depends on how good an actress she is, I reckon.”
Hermione’s face shifted from disgust to frustration to hopelessness.
She’d acquiesced to the idea of marrying Malfoy for the greater good, but if it came at such a cost … Sirius was right; Harry needed her.
Theo’s shoulders slumped as he looked between her and her Gryffindors, who remained furious.
“I … I’m committed to Harry, and the Order …” Hermione whispered. “I can’t switch … even to pretend–”
“But … Salazar, this might even appease Father,” Theo murmured. “The Malfoys are one of the few families he respects. If you seemingly abandoned Harry for Draco and didn’t fight with the Order, he might ignore the issue of the bloodline. You might not even need to marry Draco right away …”
Hermione raised her eyes to meet Harry’s across the sitting room.
“I won’t fight against you,” she said furiously. “I WON’T.”
“I know you won’t,” Harry agreed. “But you can pretend, Hermione.”
“Harry–!”
“No, listen to me,” her friend was surprisingly firm. “Theo’s right; this is the best way to protect you! I know, even faking being in love with Malfoy is hard to imagine–” he ignored the supremely exaggerated eye roll from the blond in question “–but he can’t change sides, ‘cause when we get back to Hogwarts, he could have people in his own dormitory try to stab him in his sleep–”
“Would that be so bad?” Ron muttered under his breath.
“–but there’s no threat to you if YOU pretend to switch sides!” Harry finished. “Our allies will know the truth, so you won’t be in danger!”
Sirius looked between Harry and Hermione and added, “Being married to a Malfoy – or even engaged – means nobody’ll try and target you during the war for being Muggle-born, and the other Slytherins would completely leave you alone ‘cause they’d know you were under the Malfoys’ protection.”
“But everyone OUTSIDE of Slytherin would turn on her!” Ron argued fervently. “People in our own house might go after Hermione, even just for marrying the prick in the first place never mind if it looks like she’s betrayed Harry!”
“But Ron, enough of our allies at school already know about the plans to protect the Grey Slytherins,” Harry pointed out. “I reckon as long as Malfoy doesn’t do anything outwardly Death Eater-ish they’ll assume he came to US for support and he’s on OUR side; these two only pretend to the Slytherins that they’re Death Eaters – the ones that aren’t Grey, anyway.”
Hermione was getting dizzy.
“So … nobody can know Theo’s really my brother, I have to pretend not to care about him AND pretend to still be Muggle-born while pretending to be in love with Malfoy while pretending to some of the Slytherins that I’ve betrayed Harry while pretending to everyone ELSE that I’ve converted Malfoy–?”
“No,” Theo turned to her seriously. “No, you won’t have to do all that.”
He looked at Draco carefully. His friend looked thoughtful, and then nodded, giving him permission to do what he did best.
Theo took a long breath and focused on his mental filing system. He pulled out information from various places and allowed it to combine in several ways, looking for potential flaws. There were a lot of factors to consider, but he knew how to predict most of the actions of Hogwarts attendees. If Hermione and Draco were careful …
Hermione watched Theo’s ice-blue eyes blink slowly a few times as he formulated his plan. Out the corner of her eye she noticed Malfoy watching him as well, with a clear expression of trust. Hermione hadn’t been surprised to learn that it was her brilliant brother who’d innovated the Grey Slytherins in the first place; he was much more cunning than he liked to admit. Even Malfoy, who was ambitious to the core, seemed to defer to Theo when it came to scheming.
“We can tell the Order the truth, but you only have to feed Hogwarts one story,” Theo said firmly as everyone else listened carefully. “This summer you were courted by potential suitors. It’s a bit early for that sort of thing but we’re past OWLs now, so it’s not TOO unusual. We’ll say that Harry, Draco, Krum, and some of the Weasleys sent you offers of marriage.
“According to tradition, each wizard would’ve offered you a gift or favour along with their proposal. After considering the offers, you decided to accept Draco’s proposal because he offered to renounce the Death Eaters and support the Order in exchange for your hand.”
Hermione blinked. How many people at Hogwarts would believe that Draco Malfoy abandoned his prejudices just to have HER? She didn’t think she was that much of a prize …
“If our allies accept the story, they’ll accept Draco,” Theo continued. “The Grey Slytherins will let it go, as well. They don’t have to believe you two fell in love, either; they’ll assume it’s a good arrangement and Hermione chose Draco for the sake of a new ally. But the other side will assume Draco is just using her to get closer to Harry; that way he’s not in danger from the Death Eaters’ children.”
“It’s only behind closed doors with untrustworthy Slytherins that I’ll pretend I’ve lied and seduced you,” Malfoy added to Hermione resolutely, ignoring Ron’s wrinkled nose from across the room. “I’ll publicly support Potter but stay as Grey as possible. As far as any Death Eater supporters are concerned, I’m staying close to you and Potter to get information, but I haven’t really switched sides – and that’s what I’ll tell my parents too, so they’re not in danger from the Dark Lord.”
“And you two don’t have to tell anyone at Hogwarts you’re married, only engaged,” Theo added. “Having the wedding soon is ideal to keep Father from claiming you, but it would be odd under normal circumstances for you to get married so fast – so the other students don’t need to know about it.”
Hermione relaxed a little.
“So, I can still work with Harry and Ron … we can still run the Defence group …”
“You don’t have to act like you’re in love with him since the pure-bloods do the arranged marriage thing anyway,” Ron pointed out with a bit of a grumpy face.
“This is actually sort of brilliant,” Sirius admitted as he ran a hand through his untidy hair. “Hermione’s got some natural cunning; I totally think she can play along. Maybe she and Draco can pull information from the Death Eaters’ kids while feeding them false information about Harry.”
Ron and Harry exchanged a look and Hermione knew what they were thinking: could they trust Malfoy to play his part without actually betraying them?
Theo suddenly looked downcast, and Hermione squeezed his hand.
“I don’t like the idea of forcing you to play along with a dangerous scheme,” he admitted. “On top of being forced to get married–”
“It’s alright,” she said with a sigh. “This isn’t exactly what I expected, but I’m going to help with this stupid war, and I think I can do more like this than as a plain old Mudblood, anyway.”
Theo frowned. “Don’t say that. Even if it’s not true, I don’t like hearing it.”
Ron mumbled something to Harry about having at least one tolerable Slytherin in the house, and Malfoy heard. He pinched his lips together at Ron.
“Rather I back out, Weasley? ‘Cause I’d lose nothing by walking away, right now.”
Ron scowled but stayed quiet.
Harry gave his mate a sympathetic nudge. They both hated how necessary Malfoy had become to their friend’s survival. Like it or not, marrying him was still the only way to keep her safe from Thoros, so it looked as though they’d be stuck with the blond snake for the foreseeable future.
“Alright,” Sirius stood from his seat and rubbed his hands, a determined look settling over his face. “Guess it’s time to get a wedding planned. Kreacher!”