A/N: This is my second fanfic, hope you like it! I've always been one
for taking things fast, so just tell me if the DM/HG relationship is
going too fast. I understand that this chapter is pretty short, but
it's sort of like the introduction and they do get longer. Please
review, whether it's good or bad, I don't care. Also, the first bit is
set in the late holidays before the trio go back to school for their
seventh and final year. So, enjoy! ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books... blah, blah... JK Rowling does. Enough said!
Hermione Granger's parents sat her down on the sofa in their living room and told her that they needed to tell her something.
'Okay, right,' said Hermione, a fairly ominous feeling setting over her. 'Go ahead.'
Ted and Nancy Granger looked nervously at each other.
Finally, Nancy spoke. 'We really should have told you this before,' she said, staring determinedly at the paper napkin she was playing with in her hands. 'But we were afraid – and also we thought that you'd be better off not knowing. But now... now we see that we were wrong.'
Hermione's heart rate increased. 'Well, what?' she croaked.
'You are Hermione Granger,' continued her father. 'But you are not a muggleborn. You are Hermione Granger... a pureblood.'
Hermione's heart slammed against her chest and her breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak. 'But – but – ' she spluttered. 'How - ?'
'We'll tell you,' Nancy said. 'You're father and I have no magical talent at all. Squibs. That's what we are. Pureblood Squibs. Your father was... was in debt. He owned a large sum of money to none other than Lucius Malfoy – ' Hermione's jaw dropped, and her eyes boggled hopelessly at her mother. ' – but Lucius took pity on him. He said that if we promised to betroth our daughter to his son, he would forget all fines.'
'We agreed,' her father carried on. 'But we then decided that since we each have no magic at all, we would live out our lives as muggles. We assumed our daughter was a squib to – at that time you were only two months old, Hermione – and we hoped that if you were brought up as a muggle, and in all became a muggle except for your blood, Lucius would not want his son to marry you.
'But then you got submitted to Hogwarts, and became quite a successful witch indeed. We were wrong, you're not a Squib, Hermione. And Lucius didn't change his mind.'
Hermione sat there, so still it seemed she might be paralyzed. Not many people ever experience the tsunami of rush and shock a person gets when their whole life has been turned upside down. Hermione never thought that she would – but now she was. The force of it was so strong that it stung her eyes and she found she was incapable of speaking. She just gaped at her parents, shock surging through her.
'We are sorry, dear,' said her mother quietly.
Finally Hermione managed to speak. 'Are – are you telling me that – that I'm a pureblood and that I'm – that I'm... betrothed to D-Draco Malfoy?' her voice rose a few octaves at the last few words.
Ted and Nancy shot each other guilty looks. 'Oh, you know him?'
'The fuck I know him!' Hermione screeched, seeming to lose her sanity. Otherwise, she never would have dreamed of swearing in front of her mother. And it was a mark of how serious the conversation was, because her parents didn't reprimand her for doing so. 'Draco sodding Malfoy is hell bent on making my life, and Harry and Ron's too, a misery! For all seven years I've known him, he's been bullying me about being a muggleborn! He – he used to call me – a... Mudblood.'
Her parents gasped. 'No!'
Hermione, however, felt the tiniest twinge of satisfaction that Draco Malfoy would no longer be able to call her a Mudblood. Ever. Inside her mind, she gave an evil laugh.
Her mother was almost in tears. 'Oh Hermione, we are so sorry! We never dreamed that he would do such a thing – '
Hermione was gripped with a sudden, unpleasant thought. 'Mother, Father, does he know?'
'Know?'
'Know. That we are betrothed.'
They shook their heads. 'We spoke to Lucius and he hasn't told him.'
Hermione let out the breath she'd been holding. Her mother gave out a strange little squeak.
'Hermione, darling, there's more.'
Her heart froze. 'What?'
'We also agreed that you would marry Draco when you turn seventeen.'
Hermione closed her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts, trying to calm down. 'Oh fuck. Why me? Why me?'
'We're so sorry, Hermione!' her father cried. 'We don't mean to put any pressure on you but – but if you don't... I owe him so much money... we'd out on the streets.'
Hermione bit back a scream. 'No!'
A single tear fell from her mother's eye.
'It's okay, I'll do it,' said Hermione, standing and giving them a hug. 'It's not your fault, I hold no grudge against you. Anyway, I can just divorce him after a few months, right?'
Ted and Nancy exchanged looks. 'Hermione,' started Ted shakily. 'That's the other part. When two purebloods marry, they can't divorce. It's an old wizarding law, dating way back and backed up by some powerful magic.'
Hermione received another shock wave and this time it was too much for her. The light blacked out in front of her eyes right before her body crumpled to the floor.
A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think. There's a small cliffie, I know, but try not to kill me! Review, review, review!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books... blah, blah... JK Rowling does. Enough said!
Hermione Granger's parents sat her down on the sofa in their living room and told her that they needed to tell her something.
'Okay, right,' said Hermione, a fairly ominous feeling setting over her. 'Go ahead.'
Ted and Nancy Granger looked nervously at each other.
Finally, Nancy spoke. 'We really should have told you this before,' she said, staring determinedly at the paper napkin she was playing with in her hands. 'But we were afraid – and also we thought that you'd be better off not knowing. But now... now we see that we were wrong.'
Hermione's heart rate increased. 'Well, what?' she croaked.
'You are Hermione Granger,' continued her father. 'But you are not a muggleborn. You are Hermione Granger... a pureblood.'
Hermione's heart slammed against her chest and her breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak. 'But – but – ' she spluttered. 'How - ?'
'We'll tell you,' Nancy said. 'You're father and I have no magical talent at all. Squibs. That's what we are. Pureblood Squibs. Your father was... was in debt. He owned a large sum of money to none other than Lucius Malfoy – ' Hermione's jaw dropped, and her eyes boggled hopelessly at her mother. ' – but Lucius took pity on him. He said that if we promised to betroth our daughter to his son, he would forget all fines.'
'We agreed,' her father carried on. 'But we then decided that since we each have no magic at all, we would live out our lives as muggles. We assumed our daughter was a squib to – at that time you were only two months old, Hermione – and we hoped that if you were brought up as a muggle, and in all became a muggle except for your blood, Lucius would not want his son to marry you.
'But then you got submitted to Hogwarts, and became quite a successful witch indeed. We were wrong, you're not a Squib, Hermione. And Lucius didn't change his mind.'
Hermione sat there, so still it seemed she might be paralyzed. Not many people ever experience the tsunami of rush and shock a person gets when their whole life has been turned upside down. Hermione never thought that she would – but now she was. The force of it was so strong that it stung her eyes and she found she was incapable of speaking. She just gaped at her parents, shock surging through her.
'We are sorry, dear,' said her mother quietly.
Finally Hermione managed to speak. 'Are – are you telling me that – that I'm a pureblood and that I'm – that I'm... betrothed to D-Draco Malfoy?' her voice rose a few octaves at the last few words.
Ted and Nancy shot each other guilty looks. 'Oh, you know him?'
'The fuck I know him!' Hermione screeched, seeming to lose her sanity. Otherwise, she never would have dreamed of swearing in front of her mother. And it was a mark of how serious the conversation was, because her parents didn't reprimand her for doing so. 'Draco sodding Malfoy is hell bent on making my life, and Harry and Ron's too, a misery! For all seven years I've known him, he's been bullying me about being a muggleborn! He – he used to call me – a... Mudblood.'
Her parents gasped. 'No!'
Hermione, however, felt the tiniest twinge of satisfaction that Draco Malfoy would no longer be able to call her a Mudblood. Ever. Inside her mind, she gave an evil laugh.
Her mother was almost in tears. 'Oh Hermione, we are so sorry! We never dreamed that he would do such a thing – '
Hermione was gripped with a sudden, unpleasant thought. 'Mother, Father, does he know?'
'Know?'
'Know. That we are betrothed.'
They shook their heads. 'We spoke to Lucius and he hasn't told him.'
Hermione let out the breath she'd been holding. Her mother gave out a strange little squeak.
'Hermione, darling, there's more.'
Her heart froze. 'What?'
'We also agreed that you would marry Draco when you turn seventeen.'
Hermione closed her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts, trying to calm down. 'Oh fuck. Why me? Why me?'
'We're so sorry, Hermione!' her father cried. 'We don't mean to put any pressure on you but – but if you don't... I owe him so much money... we'd out on the streets.'
Hermione bit back a scream. 'No!'
A single tear fell from her mother's eye.
'It's okay, I'll do it,' said Hermione, standing and giving them a hug. 'It's not your fault, I hold no grudge against you. Anyway, I can just divorce him after a few months, right?'
Ted and Nancy exchanged looks. 'Hermione,' started Ted shakily. 'That's the other part. When two purebloods marry, they can't divorce. It's an old wizarding law, dating way back and backed up by some powerful magic.'
Hermione received another shock wave and this time it was too much for her. The light blacked out in front of her eyes right before her body crumpled to the floor.
A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think. There's a small cliffie, I know, but try not to kill me! Review, review, review!