Twenty-Six
September 15th 1999:
“Hermione, Shacklebot wants to see you in his office.” Hermione’s assistant told her.
“Thank you.” Hermione had been a researcher for the DMLE for almost four months. She had been given an office and an assistant almost right away. She had insisted she should be treated the same as everyone else. However Shacklebot insisted their number one researcher should have all the space she needed.
She walked to Shacklebot’s office. Katie Bell had just replaced his old secretary.
“Hi Katie.”
“Hi Hermione. He’s waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Miss. Granger, how are you?”
“I’ve been good. I love the work I am doing with the DMLE.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Shacklebot motioned for Hermione to take a seat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked you to come in.” Hermione nodded to share her agreement to his statement. “I am planning to retire. Not for another year or so but I am ready.”
“Kingsley, you’ve only been Minister for a year. How are you already planning to retire?”
“This was never supposed to be a long engagement for me. I am old, Hermione. The Order chose me to lead us through the aftermath of the war and that is what I am doing. But the future is bright, Hermione. The Wizarding World needs someone who has fought for it despite everything. You fought for a world where Muggleborns can feel safe. It’s only right you led the way into the future of our world.”
“I’m only nineteen, Kingsley.”
“Your twentieth birthday is in a few days, is it not?”
“It is. But twenty is still too young to be Minister.”
“I’m not asking you to be Minister tomorrow. In two years, when I retire, I know you will be the most perfect candidate for the job. No one cares for the people and the creatures of our world more than you do.” Hermione felt pride in her heart knowing it was true. She wanted to protect all magical beings. “You do not have to give me an answer now. I want you to think about it.”
“I will. Thank you for believing in me Kingsley.”
“You are the future of our world, Hermione. I know it.
“Draco, Miss. Greengrass is here.” Draco was finishing a letter to Hermione when his mother knocked on the door to the study.
“I’ll be down in a moment, Mother.”
“May I come in, Draco? I want to discuss something with you.” Draco opened the door of the study with his wand. Narcissa glided through the room and took a seat in front of her son.
“What is it Mother?” Draco said as he hid the letter under a book.
“I wanted to give you this.” Narcissa placed a black ring box on the desk. “It’s time for you to officially be engaged to Miss. Greengrass.”
“Mother,”
“Draco,” Narcissa cut him off. “It’s time. If you both keep delaying this, what will society think?”
“They’ll think that two twenty year olds do not wish to marry after only just graduating. Society is different than it was before. There is no need for Daph and I to rush into a marriage.”
“You have to be married by your twenty-first birthday. It is a Malfoy tradition.”
“I am tired of Malfoy traditions.” Draco looked down at his arm. He’d rolled his sleeves up due to the warmth in the study.
“Just give Daphne the ring. You can have a long engagement if you please too. But you need to be engaged by the end of the month.”
“Yes, Mother.” She turned to leave but Draco, feeling brave, stopped her. “Mum?”
“Yes Dear?”
“Before you married Father, did you ever wish you could find love on your own and not have it arranged for you?”
“Your father and I’s marriage wasn’t arranged. He was supposed to marry Bellatrix.”
“And he didn’t because of you?”
“That was one of the reasons. We had fallen in love at Hogwarts. He was a sixth year and I was in my fifth year. When he was in his seventh year, our families announced he would marry Bellatrix. After he graduated, they started to plan the wedding but he broke it off. He said he’d rather be poor and marry me than have everything and marry her. We married two days after I graduated from Hogwarts.”
“I-i didn’t know that.”
“I know your father has hurt you. And for that, I am sorry. But once upon a time, he loved me and I loved him and that was enough. He felt the pressure of being the Malfoy heir, just like you did.”
“I’ll never forgive him for what he put us through.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“Do you still love him?”
“Yes. In my eyes, he is the sixteen year old boy who defied his parents for me.”
“Would you have married him if he was poor?”
“My parents would not have let me but I would have wanted to, yes.” Draco took a deep breath in and released it.
“I should go. Don’t want to keep Daph waiting any longer.” Draco packed all his papers away before walking downstairs to meet Daphne.
“It’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”
“I was speaking with my mother.” Draco held his arm out for Hermione to take. “I thought we could go for a walk in the garden.”
“That sounds lovely.” The two friends walked through the manor, out onto the patio and into Narcissa’s famous rose garden. “Have you told your mother that you don’t actually live here yet?”
“Not quite, yet. I can’t exactly tell her I am sleeping in the flat I purchased for my muggleborn girlfriend and I.”
“I mean, I told my parents that I have a girlfriend. I bet you could tell Narcissa you’re shagging not only a muggleborn but the wizarding world’s favorite muggleborn.” Draco stopped in his tracks.
“You came out?”
“Yes.” Draco threw his arms around Daphne.
“I am so proud of you.”
“Draco, they disowned me.”
“What?”
“They disowned me.”
“Oh Daph, I’m so sorry.”
“Don't apologize, Draco. I’m free. I'm free from all of it. I’m free from Pureblood society, free from marriage contracts, free from everything! I can be me!”
“I’m happy for you Daph.”
“Draco, this is good news for you! You don’t have to marry me! You and Hermione can be together!” Draco gave Daphne a sad smile.
“Daph, it doesn’t mean that I get to marry Granger.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sure my mother has four other girls for me to marry.”
“Just tell her about Hermione. That was always the endgame. Me being free and you being with Hermione.”
“It was a dream. I never thought it would actually happen.”
“Draco, were you ever going to tell Hermione about the contact?”
“I would have eventually.” Daphne was slowly losing control of her temper.
“When? The day of our wedding?”
“Daphne, you have no idea what it means to be me. The Malfoy name, as tainted as it is, has always been one of the most powerful and influential surnames there has ever been. The only one coming close would be the Black lineage. I am the heir to the two most powerful family lines in our world. Do you have any idea what responsibilities come with that? I want Hermione Granger to be my wife more than anything. I would give up my wand for her. But there are too many outside factors. There are laws, curses, and restrictions.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you really think my ancestors would ever allow the firstborn male, the heir to the fortune, to marry anyone except a pureblood?”
“Why did you say you’d help find a way for us to get out of the contract, knowing that you wouldn't be able to marry the woman you love?”
“I want you to have the life you want. I want you to go and live your life and shag whoever you wish to shag. I want you to be happy.”
“And what about you?”
“I wasn’t born to be happy.”
“Draco,”
“No. Do not pity me Daphne. I have known this my whole life. Falling in love with Hermione was selfish and I should never have let it go on this long. I’ll be ending the relationship by the end of the year.” Daphne knew Draco’s tone meant he was done discussing it.
“I do not pity you, Draco. But I am sad for you. You do not deserve this.”
“Yes I do, Daph. For all the pain that I have caused, for the pain my family caused, I don’t deserve to be happy. I especially do not deserve to be happy with the Golden Girl of the wizarding world. I will only bring her down. She has too much potential.” Draco continued their walk through the garden in silence. Daphne knew her friend too well, she knew he was done with the conversation.
“Hermione? I’m home!” Draco announced as he walked through the fireplace into their shared flat.
“I’m in the bedroom!” Draco smirked to himself. That was one of his favorite sentences.
Draco walked down the hallway to their bedroom. The sight that awaited him was enough for him to believe he’d died and gone to heaven.
Herminoe was waiting for him, on her knees, in the middle of their bed, wearing the smallest set of green lace.
“I thought it was your birthday coming up, not mine.” Hermione smiled.
“I just thought I would surprise you. Keep you on your toes.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Granger. You are the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Well why don’t you come over here and prove it?”
Draco did as he was told and pounced on the bed.
“I don’t deserve you.” Draco said as he kissed hermione. “I have been the subject of so many people’s nightmares and horror stories, I do not deserve to have you love me. I am not good enough for you.” He kissed down her chest. “I’ll never be worthy of you.” Draco stopped as a tear started to stream down his face.
“Love, what’s wrong?” Hermione pulled his face up in order to wipe his tears away.
“I don’t deserve to love you and have your love in return. I’m not good enough for you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes it is, Hermione!” Draco yelled and got off the bed. “I was a death eater! I watched as you were tortured by my Aunt! My own blood has caused you physical pain! Not to mention all the cruel things I said about you!”
“Did Kingsley contact you? Is that why you’re upset?”
“What?”
“Kingsley told me today he wants me to be the next Minister. Is that what this is about?”
“No, Hermione. Or at least it wasn’t. Now it might be.”
“Wait, if that isn’t why you were freaking out, then what caused all this? Did your mom say something?”
“No. No, she didn’t. Because she still doesn’t know that we are together. Because I am a coward.”
“You are not a coward. I know it’s a complicated situation.” Draco sat on the edge of the bed and Hermione began to rub his back.
“Draco, I love you. I don’t care about anyone else's opinion of our relationship. There are two people in this relationship. It’s you and me. We are the only ones who matter here.”
“Hermione, our relationship will only harm you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t have an ex-death eater boyfriend if you want to be Minister.”
“I’m Hermione Granger and I can do whatever the hell I want.” Hermione smirked and kissed Draco’s cheek. “And if you call yourself a death eater one more time, you will never see this set again.”
“Well that’s just mean.”
“I hope it’s enough motivation.”
“Oh it is. Trust me.” Hermione moved and straddled Draco's lap. “Please don’t tell anyone I started crying before sex.”
“I won’t.” She kissed his nose. “How about I throw a dress on and we go get dinner?”
“That better be a joke.” Draco flipped Hermione around so her back hit the bed.
“Just don’t start crying again.” Hermione teased. Draco rolled his eyes at his witch.
“That’s the one joke you get to make, anymore and you will not cum tonight.”