The Marriage Law

Chapter 5

Hermione dragged her feet as she trudged down the hall to the pods. After her experience the night before, she really didn't fancy spending any more time with Draco in their…bedroom. She couldn't get over the fact that even though his side had been in the wrong the year before, he was still treating her like crap. Sure he hadn't called her a mudblood or any such thing, but he still jumped at any chance to antagonize her. However, Hermione did have to admit that she had been in the wrong somewhat as well during class this morning. Why shouldn't Malfoy be a healer? Maybe he was trying to atone for wounds he had inflicted during the war by healing other wounds now. Yet if that were the case, why did he still try and inflict emotional wounds on her? Her mind was going round and round in circles, and yet for all of her brains and cleverness Hermione simply couldn't seem to make sense of the situation.

She had stayed as late as she could in the library, trying to minimize the time spent in the same vicinity as Malfoy, so when she got back to her pod she found the common area to be empty. Tiptoeing quietly to her bedroom so as not to cause a disturbance (She had discovered the hard way that Theodore Nott had an incredibly short temper,) she opened the door and slipped in. She sucked in a breath as she saw Malfoy lounging on his bed reading a magazine. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as she saw a naked woman on the front.

"Don't judge Granger, don't forget I'm being forced into premature celibacy from all women but you, so essentially, premature celibacy." He wrinkled his nose as he examined her over the top of his magazine.

Uncomfortable with where his eyes were lingering, Hermione marched over to her bed, grabbed her nightclothes and marched on into the bathroom to change.

It was a bit warmer than the night before so when she returned she wore a tank top instead of a full shirt with her pajama pants under her housecoat. When she leaned over to fluff her pillows, the robe fell open and Malfoy sneered,

"Trying to seduce me Granger?"

Having had enough, Hermione straightened up angrily to retort but stopped short when she saw that his face had glazed over and his eyes were focused on her neck. She was about to snap at him demanding what had come over him when realization dawned on her and she looked down, seeing the puckered scar where Bellatrix's knife hade pierced her skin as she blackmailed Ron and Harry in Malfoy Manor.

Noticing her comprehension, Malfoy snarled, "That wasn't my fault!"

Holding his gaze, Hermione replied, "I know," quietly, before slipping into her bed and rolling over to face the wall, not saying anything else that night.

Malfoy spent another restless night as he mulled over the encounter he had just had with Hermione. She had said that she knew that it wasn't his fault, but she couldn't be serious. It had in fact been his fault, or so Draco thought, so why would she say it hadn't been. She must be playing some sort of mind game with him, but Draco had no inclination of what it might be. If she didn't already hate him, she surely would now that he had reminded her of what his family had done to her. The guilt that always lingered in the pit of his stomach flared up as he was once again overcome with memories of the terrible night when his crazed aunt had inflicted that injury on Hermione. As he relived the terrible memory over and over, Draco became more certain than ever that he and Hermione could never work. Though he would die before he admitted it to anyone else, Hermione was simply too good for him.

xxxxx

"Weeeeaaaselllll."

Ron clenched his fists together as he heard her dreaded voice from the other side of the room. This must truly be what Hell was like.

"Weeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssseeeeellllllll!"

Ron counted down in his head. Three….two….one…

"WEASEL!"

"What the bloody Hell do you want woman!"

"Your help."

That stopped Ron short. His suspicions were immediately aroused by her words. (About the only thing that'll ever be aroused by her!) he thought to himself bitterly.

"My help." He repeated, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Yes, O fiancée of mine." She was equally spiteful. "I want Draco, and for whatever impossible reason that stupid mind of yours has come up with, you want Granger. I am willing to work with you if we can help each other achieve our means."

Ron was silent for a few moments as he contemplated her words. Somehow, Astoria seemed to sense this and actually left him to his thoughts. A battle was raging in Ron's mind. Though he was angry at Hermione, he still loved her. But to get her, he would have to work with Astoria, and most likely betray and hurt Hermione along the way. Insensitive as he often was, Ron still didn't want to hurt her like that. He managed to convince himself that he would be helping her in the long run by rescuing her from Hermione, and yes, he admitted it, saving himself from holy matrimony to Astoria was a huge factor as well. His current fiancée was a blonde bombshell, but she was also a prissy pig. He had made up his mind.

"Deal."

xxxxx

"…and when we were in Switzerland, Daddy and I found this new breed of nargles and…"

"SHUT UP!" Theo roared. "I don't give a rat's ass about what you and your freaky father hallucinated that you saw in Sweden—"

"Switzerland." Luna interjected quietly. "And furthermore," her voice grew louder and more firm, "My father and I are not crazy. Just because you can't see past the end of your ignorant nose does not mean that I am crazy. I don't know what your problem is, but you better get over it or at least stop taking it out on me. I am to be your wife not your punching bag."

Silence ensued after her outburst. Theo didn't say anything else. Once again, the dreamy blonde had left him speechless.

Luna smiled as she opened up her latest copy of The Quibbler and started reading an article about Wrackspurts. Her husband-to-be hadn't apologized, but he hadn't said anything else offensive either. In her strangely perceptive way, Luna knew that things had just changed, and that they had changed for the better.

xxxxx

This time, Draco awoke after Hermione. It seemed that she had made a point to get up first so that she could hog the bathroom.

"Granger! Hurry the Hell up!" He shouted as he banged on the door.

Another ten minutes passed, and still she had not vacated the bathroom. Accustomed to getting what he wanted when he wanted, Draco's patience, which he was naturally predisposed to have very little of, was wearing thin.

He went and pounded again. "Granger if you don't get out of there before I count to ten I'll—"

He never got to finish his sentence, for the door had swung open and Hermione stood before him with her wand pointed at his throat. Somehow he must not have heard the shower stop over his shouting.

"Or you'll what Malfoy?" She asked with a dangerous edge to her voice. "You'll hex me?"

Draco didn't say anything, deciding to just glare at her. It was then that he became aware of the fact that she was wearing nothing but a towel. He glanced down and saw her creamy white legs peeking out from under her towel, which in a very un-Grangerlike way left very little to the imagination. Draco gulped. It couldn't be. He couldn't find Granger attractive. He really needed to shower and wake up.

As he stood under the hot spray, Draco shook his head, trying to knock some sense into himself. He couldn't let this marriage law drive him crazy. He had to maintain who he was. He was Draco Malfoy, and she was Hermione Granger. Yes she was a woman, yes she was attractive, and yes she was kind hearted and clever. But she was also his enemy, and Draco could not let himself forget that.