Evaluate This!

Bonds

Thanks to my wonderful beta! You're always the best!

I have noted that persons with bad judgment are most insistent that we do what they think best. Lionel Adel

"So you think that they've done something?"

"No. I do not think, ferret-boy, I know that they very much did something." Hermione tossed the book Marriage, Love throughout the Ages to the side and opened yet another on the same foul subject.

Really, Hermione thought as she hurried through the sections on how to conquer aphrodisiacs, if one more thing in her life went from tolerable to frenzied she was going to be high bent on transferring to Beauxbatons. Screw Hogwarts and screw Fudge, she hadn't learned one thing this year and it was almost Christmas! Her brown eyes scanned the respective pages and she tried hard to dismiss the silver eyes boring into her. He was another one of the elements in her life she had once thought was steadfast and reliable. But no! He just had to go and…change things. She still didn't really understand exactly what had changed, or how it was…grr!…Stop, she commanded herself, thinking about that stupid blond haired git and FOCUS DAMN IT!

Her voice seemed foreign as she spoke to break the ice, to distract herself, to get away from those disturbing thoughts. "I don't know what they did. But she more than hinted that they did do something."

"Why can't it be an actual binding certificate again?"

Hermione growled as she glared at the Slytherin. He didn't even give her the courtesy of responding, only sat there—waiting. "For the fifth time Malfoy, that would simply be too easy and too expected. After all," She adopted the smirk she had learned from rooming far too long with the irritable male. "You thought of it."

Draco huffed, crossing his arms and settling back into his seat and said in his best careless voice, "Be that way then." It got the desired reaction. Heated eyes seared into his.

"You!" Hermione hissed. "You should be just as concerned…" a pause then, "No, you should be scared out of your freaking mind."

"Why's that?"

"Because, you dense blond—I'm really beginning to believe you are a ditz—I'm not the one who's going to be on the receiving end of this. But you, my dear Malfoy, are!"

"Ah."

"AH! What the…" Healthy bodily functions—namely breathing—are called healthy body functions for a reason…because they are needed. Hermione, however, knew that the moment she opened her mouth to breath, she would say something she'd more than likely regret.

Without breathing (talented isn't she) Hermione gathered the texts she'd gathered earlier and stalked from the library, sending one last look over her shoulder, daring the Slytherin to follow. If he had any sense of self-preservation, he would not follow, and if he ever wished to reproduce, he'd certainly better make himself scarce. She wasn't about to put up with any attitude—imagined or otherwise—from him.

Draco waited a good time before lazily setting after her. The corridors were empty thankfully—not that he really cared, but it made it so much easier to locate the sound of angry footsteps. He caught up with her outside their dorm. "Running away seems to be your trademark."

"And being an utter git seems to be yours."

"Look, Granger, I don't know what climbed up your…" Draco trailed off. "Hey, look at this nice spider. Here spidy, spidy, spidy."

Hermione lowered her wand. "You were saying?"

"How 'bout I carry those for you." Draco swiped the books from her before she could respond. There was no way she would hex an unarmed person. "And then we'll go inside, have a nice study-date while we look for what the big bad people might have done to make our lives hell, eh?"

Sighing, Hermione watched him questioningly. He smiled at her, his silver eyes glinting in that 'I really am harmless' way. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh come off it Granger. I'm actually willing to help for once. Just get in here."

The portrait slammed behind them and Draco dropped the books on the low-lying coffee table.

"See, now you sit on your side and I swear I'll be a good little boy and stay on my own."

"The day you are a good boy—the day you are truly worthy of such a title—is the day I marry Ron." Hermione plopped down on her designated side and divided the books. She shoved the other half towards Draco.

"Ah, so all is not well in paradise."

The cover of Hermione's book was flipped open.

"Little Ronnie-kins not doing it for you anymore?"

He saw a visible cringe, but her finger stayed at its task, screening the contents.

"You know, I would have sworn you two were soul mates. You are destined to be stuck in a shack with a bunch of frizzy haired red heads screaming for their bottles."

If he expected her to explode—Draco had sorely underestimated the resolve of one Hermione Granger.

"And you Draco? Bound to follow your father, marry Pansy, pretend to coddle over your poodle of a child and kiss the feet of none other than…" Seeing the red growth beneath Draco's pale skin, Hermione paused. "Should I continue with what I see life has in store for you?"

"No."

"Then, lets just forget you ever started this little travesty."

"So, you and Weasel never really got to it."

"You don't know an easy out when you see one, do you?" Hermione sighed. "If you must know, Ron and I are friends, and Merlin believe me, friends is all we'll ever be." She shivered. "I love him dearly, but…just….eww…it would be like marrying my brother!"

Inside, Draco was preening. He felt as a cat may feel when stroked the right way and it was a delicious feeling. He hoped he wasn't glowing—because it sure felt like a warm haze of golden light surrounded him, softly caressing him and his ego into purring submission.

"Malfoy…are you purring?"

Well, that had the same affect as a bucket of ice water. Thanks for your subtle ways Granger, Draco thought as his very blissful mood was ruined. Oh and by the way... "People do not purr Granger. I do believe it is impossible."

"So, explain to me the purring sound that was coming from deep inside your chest."

"Do you not understand English? There was no purring sound Granger."

"Oh really?"

"YES!"

"For I could have sworn…"

"GAH! You stupid woman! There was no purring, just leave it be!"

"If you say so, Draco."

"I do." Draco said a little less vehemently than he wanted. He glanced at the titles in front of him. Surviving Marriage, Planning the perfect bond of Marriage, and Meld Two Lives to One. Well then. He flipped open the second. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"I don't know." Hermione said, exhausted. "What can be done to a marriage certificate?"

"Nothing." Draco stated flatly.

"Nothing?" Hermione looked up surprised. "How can that be?"

"Well Granger, seems to me, you don't know much about Wizard marriage."

"I assume it is different from the Muggle way then?"

"Yes." His tone was bored, and he flipped the pages in a careless manner.

His gray eyes, Hermione thought, were the only part of him that actually portrayed the person within. It was true that eyes are the windows to the soul—if you'd only glanced at the boy, you'd never have guessed that he cared, or that he knew or wanted to share knowledge. But his eyes, his eyes betrayed him. They were not uncaring, they were filled with want (oh a want for so many things) and…

If only he'd let himself be, Hermione thought, then he'd be much more pleasant. But that wasn't the Malfoy way, now was it?

"So what exactly is marriage in the Wizarding world? If you say it is so different from my muggle version—explain it to me."

Draco had to fight back the grin that threatened to reveal itself. "Well, according to dear old ma and pa, it is both a business venture and a life time commitment. There is the ceremony of course, where the binding takes place."

"Not unlike my way." Hermione pointed out.

"The binding is magical, you idiot."

"If you say so."

"I do." Draco said plainly before continuing. "The pair is bound to one another. But not just by the presence of witnesses or by whatever god you stand before or even by those promises you both make. You aren't even bound by the certificate itself—it just happens to be there, and thus is important."

"Okay?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "The same applies in potions. Some ingredients don't really participate, as they are inactive. Yet, if you were to remove them, the potion would not serve its purpose or function when used."

"Ah. Talking about something you do understand now."

"I understand the basics behind wizard marriage, Granger. It is common knowledge…however the likes of you and your half-blood friends wouldn't know it. It isn't part of your culture." He held up a hand to silence her, but kept his eyes trained on her wand hand—in case she went a bit nutty and grabbed for her wand. "I don't say this to offend you, I'm being blunt, yes, but it just is what it is. Culture."

Eyes still dark, Hermione nodded. "Of course." She said coldly. "Culture."

"Um…" Draco's thoughts rushed. Safe ground, safe ground, common ground…shit. "Well, yeah…so you aren't really bound by the certificate, it is just a piece of paper. What counts is the bond, the magic, the spell, whatever you want to call it that you use to bind yourselves together."

"So do I need to go back to the library and look up bonds?"

"No. I think these books will have enough information on them."

"How many types are there?"

Draco frowned. "Well, my parents underwent a pure bond, as they were in love, contrary to popular belief, before the marriage." He smirked at the look of blatant surprise on the Gryffindor's face. "Big surprise, I know. But father is capable of love. As is everyone, whether or not they chose to show it in public, which father doesn't." Or in private, but that was beside the point.

"So a pure bond is different from any other bond?"

"Well, yes. You can't use a pure bond during a marriage unless both partners are truly in love with one another. No potions or charms or spells or anything that mars judgment can be on either person. "

"So you use it with true love and soul mates kind of thing?"

Draco shook his head. "No. True love, Granger and soul mates are two very very different things. The pure bond can be used for true love. However, soul mates…you don't have to love your soul mate. Therein, you can not use a pure bond."

"Huh?"

Oh, a confused and speechless Granger! It was quite a sight to see, Draco liked it…very much. "If people are soul mates and/or one of them happens to be part veela or any other magical creature, a forever bond is used. Mainly because, well, if the pair isn't lucky enough to be fully human, they need each other…" He paused thinking. "But they never have to love each other. Together forever."

"I thought that if people are soul mates that they were meant for each other, like perfect counterparts that fit together."

"And they do."

"But!"

"But, just because, say…say you and I are soul mates. That we are perfect for each other. Even so, that does not make you love me, now does it?"

Hermione cringed. "No. I guess it doesn't."

"People want choices. Being told that you belong with someone. Well, that isn't the best way to start off a relationship now is it?"

"I guess not."

"So…understand now?"

"Yeah."

"Don't sound so freaking depressed."

"Sorry."

Woman, Draco thought. Always acting like you'd kicked their puppy when you tell them their notions of love are wrong.

"So…bonds are really the power behind a marriage certificate."

"Mhmm." Draco yawned. His days were boring, he didn't so much as have classes to take his mind off the endless drone of doing nothing. Nothing. Nothing. It got tiresome rather quick. "Bonds are like any charm or spell you cast. The slightest mispronunciation or too hard a flick of the wrist and you've got yourself something entirely different and unique." Draco dragged a hand through his hair. "That is why no one really messes with these things too often. So much can go wrong and it is irreversible."

"Ah."

"Am I experiencing déjà vu?"

Hermione glared. "Stop grinning like the Cheshire cat and tell me all you know about bonds."

Wondering what the hell the Cheshire cat was, Draco nodded. "Aye aye el Capitan!" Now where they hell did that come from? He'd never so much as heard that phrase…oh! Damn it. He'd picked up those contagious muggle cooties when he was in Granger's body. That had to be it. He glanced over at said muggle and was shocked at the very…Malfoy-ish look on her face. It was enough to make him cringe. "Err…Granger, please stop smiling like that."

The grin grew wider.

She knew she really shouldn't. She should be focusing on important things. Like…like…like…important things. And she should…she should…she should be, err…

Harry and Ron, they would, they would throw a fit…they would be upset and…and…

Hermione knew they'd disapprove. But really, who were they to tell her she couldn't do as she damn well wished to do? Eh? Huh? Huh? Huh?

And right now, she wanted to…

Draco was relatively concerned by now. The longest seconds of his goddamn life had just trudged by and he was still opposite an unspeaking and grinning Granger.

"Hermione? You okay?"

Oh no, Draco dear, I most certainly am not. Hermione's cheeks were beginning to ache from the force of her own smile. But it wouldn't leave, it wouldn't. I'm pretty sure it's stuck there, she thought. Oh well.

She knew what she wanted.

And she lunged.

For the first time, Draco was pleasantly surprised and delighted to find himself once again beneath a female body and being mauled willingly.

It was, in a word, nice.

Weren't they researching bonds though, or something…or something? Draco groaned as fingers ran through his hair and warm lips brushed lightly against his.

Bonds? Never heard of them.

A/N: Just a nice little cute(ish) chapter for all you all out there.

Any of you got any suggestions for types of bonds? I'm open to ideas! I haven't decided what kind is going to be used.