AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This was my 2017 Dramione-Remix Fest-Round 8 entry (dramione-remix . livejournal . com). The fest is long over and reveals are out, so now I can post this for you here. This fanfic is finished. It is multiple chapters.

My prompt for the fest was: Feyre x Rhysand from "A Court of Thorns and Roses" (ACOTAR) series

Self-prompts: Soulmates, Slytherin!Hermione, Fairies

This is primarily a "Harry Potter" fic with some elements of ACOTAR thrown in.

Thank you to my lovely alpha, gjeangirl, and my long-time friend and beta, ladysashi! Without you ladies, this fic would not have been ready in time for the fest and my muse would have dried up in the middle. This story is dedicated to the both of you. Thank you ad infinitum!

Thank you to the Dramione-Remix mods for running this wonderful fest for so many years! I'm sad the fest is now officially ended, but the remixes will go on, thanks to your inspiration!

DISCLAIMER: "Harry Potter" series is copyright J.K. Rowling and Scholastic Books. "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series by Sarah J. Maas is copyright her and her publisher. This fanfiction was written entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.

TIMELINE: A/U Hogwarts era - This is an Alternate Universe fic (Voldemort was never resurrected after dying in 1981 when his Killing Curse cast at Harry rebounded upon him, no horcruxes were ever made; Hermione attended Beauxbatons for the first 6 years of her education before coming to Hogwarts to finish & is sorted in Slytherin House)

Cast of Characters corresponding to ACOTAR characters:
Hermione Granger = Feyre
Draco Malfoy = Rhysand
Pansy Parkinson = Amarantha
Cormac McLaggen = Tamlin
Blaise Zabini = Cassian
Theodore Nott = Azriel
Astoria Greengrass = Morrigan
Harry Potter = Greysen
Ron Weasley = Lucien
Ginny Weasley = Nesta Archeron
Luna Lovegood = Elain Archeron
Seamus Finnigan = Issac Hale
Lavender Brown = Vassa
Crookshanks = The Bone Carver & The Suriel (combined)
Mrs. Granger = Ianthe
Mr. Granger = Mr. Archeron

SUMMARY: Hermione Granger is determined not to live the life her wretched mother expects of her. That includes not falling in love with the rich, powerful, sexy, clever Draco Malfoy, who also happens to be Pansy Parkinson's boy-toy. A friends-to-lovers soulmate fic.

RATING: Explicit (NC-17)

WARNINGS: Magical creatures; Explicit consensual heterosexual sex (Dramione); Virginity loss (implied, off-screen); Dub-con (not Dramione-other); Betrayal & heartbreak (angst!); Parental issues (angst!); Explicit profanity; Emotional manipulation; Family secrets; Happily-ever-after

TRUTH TO TRIUMPH

By: RZZMG

~.~.~.~.~

Prologue

~.~.~.~.~

"It's all a game, Hermione—one you must learn how to play if you're ever to snag a well-to-do husband someday."

Rolling my eyes, I made no bones of what I felt about my mother's gender-stereotypical contention that a woman's primary functions in life were to serve as a man's arm ornament, a receptacle for his lusty needs, and a breeder of his seed.

Of course, my mum ignored the stubborn set of my jaw and the hard gleam in my eyes as those were attributes of my father reflected in my genes, and she gave them about as much respect as she did her husband.

"Now, the moment you appear before your classmates to stand in line for that port-a-key thing-"

"Portkey," I corrected her.

She frowned at my interrupting, her thin lips pursing with disapproval. "That line will reflect the intended social hierarchy for this year. The other girls will all be jockeying for a position of power and dominance while standing around and deciding turns, willing to shed blood, if need be, to garner the most attention from the cream of the male crop watching nearby."

"Do you expect me to shove them over?" The thought did appeal, especially if the girls at Beauxbatons Academy were as vapid and vain as the woman who'd birthed me. "Stomp one or two of the loudest cluckers into the mud, and then crow to proclaim myself the new queen of the hen house?" I shook my head. "What kind of person do you take me for, Mother?"

I was stirring up quite a hornet's nest with my backtalk, I knew, but since my father would say nothing in my defence, adequately cowed as he was to my mother's authority in our house, it would be up to me to hiss at her a warning when she came close to crossing the line.

"Sarcasm is an unattractive trait, Hermione," she primly chastised me.

"Because it's a sign of intelligence?"

"Because it's a sign of disobedience," she countered while carving up her chicken. "As I was saying, it's vital that you distinguish yourself from the start as belonging to a higher class of female." Her sharp, grey eyes honed in on me from across the table. "Slouching and poor posture will not accomplish that goal."

With a resentful sigh, I threw my shoulders back and straightened my spine. This lecture wouldn't end until my mother had decided I was behaving like a perfect, little puppet, so it was best to play along for the moment. The faster we could move past this uncomfortable part, the sooner I could get back to ignoring her and return to my reading upstairs.

"Good manners are the way of the real world, young lady. You'd better learn that lesson at that expensive French school we're sending you to, or you'll never find a man to master you."

Master me.

That was the last straw.

Throwing my napkin down next to my plate and discarding my fork, I abruptly stood. Ignoring my mother's ice-cold demand that I sit back down or else, I turned and marched back up to my bedroom, stomping all the way. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it.

From the bed, my familiar looked up and yawned. "The hag's just bitter that she settled on a dentist when what she really wanted was to be waited upon by servants," he told me. "She's hoping you'll marry rich so she can still achieve that dream someday."

"I'm aware," I replied with a bitter edge.

That was the problem with Kneazle hybrids: they were too smart for their own good. Not only did they have intelligence on par with humans, they still had some of the magic of their full-blooded kin. In Crookshanks' case, his abilities included telepathic communication with his caretaker.

"Don't let her throw you to the hounds for the sake of her desires, Mistress Mine," he said while cleaning a paw. "You're destined for greater things."

Throwing my window open and parting the curtains, I let night's cool breeze soothe my temper, let it steal the tears from my eyes, leaving them clear to gaze upon the waning crescent moon far above.

The way my mother spoke about relationships turned me off to the entire concept. I didn't want to marry for money or status. Honestly, I wasn't sure I even wanted to marry at all.

Regardless, one thing I did know for certain: I would never, ever let any man be my master. I would have a man who viewed me as an equal or I would continue to be happily unattached. I vowed as much to the bright, silent stars above as I looked up upon their majesty and dared to dream of a life outside of the one my mother envisioned for me.

TO BE CONTINUED...