Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again

Chapter 5: Malfoy on How The Wizarding World Works

“Hello, Potter, long time no see,” Malfoy greeted, smirking at the two.

“Malfoy.” Harry nodded, not taking his eyes off the man.

“And if it isn’t Hermione. You clean up well,” he remarked as he looked her over. Hermione couldn’t decide if it was a compliment or an insult, so she just ignored the remark.

“Thank you for coming, Malfoy,” she decided to say.

“Let’s sit down,” the host proposed as he felt awkward just standing around. At that Malfoy took a seat in the chair and the two friends occupied the sofa that was at a 90-degree angle to the other furniture. The blond man looked around the room with obvious distaste. Harry couldn’t understand why, Ginny had tried to put into that room an opulent elegance. Frankly, he didn’t care for it much, because all the seats were rather uncomfortable, but it was what Ginny had wanted. He had thought that Malfoy would be pleased with the room at any rate.

“Tea?” Hermione asked suddenly. She seemed a bit nervous.

“No thank you. Let’s get to business, shall we?” he suggested. The other two people nodded. “As I understand, Hermione would like to divorce her husband, finally, and keep her children as well.”

“That is correct,” she said.

“Are you sure they are both the Weasel’s?”

“Yes, of course, Malfoy.” She was a bit irritated by his question.

“I’m only asking because if they were not, then you could just reveal that fact and they would be yours. Of course, you can’t lie and say they are not, because a simple paternity spell would reveal it. Anyway, in this case, you will have to prove that he is an unfit father. That is the hardest thing to do. Perhaps he has beat or starved the children?” he tried.

“No. He’s a great father.”

“Isn’t that a surprise. I though with his temper he would let loose a few punches now and then. If he’s so great, why are you divorcing him anyway?” Malfoy gave her a smirk, making it obvious to her that she had made a mistake in marrying the man in the first place.

Hermione took her time gathering her thoughts. Malfoy tended to rattle everyone and she had grown so unused to communicating with anyone who wasn’t family. She had been too busy with trying to be the perfect wife and mother.

“He allows me no freedom. He wants everything to be his way and for me to be his meek little wife. I know I have been for some years, but I don’t want to be anymore. I want to work - to become a healer. All he wants to do is produce more children. He knows we would not be able to afford any more, but he says he wants to have the most children out of all his brothers. I told him I don’t want to do that, but he just ignored me,” she explained, all of it coming out in a rush.

“I see,” Malfoy said, nodding to himself. “If he came here and told you that he had changed his mind and he will allow you to do all that, would you go back to him?”

“No.” She shook her head. “The things he has said to me since then, the way he’s acted, I could never go back to him. In fact, it makes me wonder why I had married him in the first place.”

“Oh? Is that so?” He seemed puzzled. “In school everyone knew you two would get married. Though I didn’t understand it myself. A smart witch like you marrying a big stupid oaf like him … such pairings never work.”

“Oh really? You are such an expert in relationships, Malfoy?” she said, not being able to let that slide. “I never heard of you dating anyone. Your marriage just came out of the blue.”