Chapter 2- Lucius Malfoy’s Order
“Why would you want me to marry a Mudblood, father?!” Draco asked angrily once the Malfoys were back at the manor. “And of all the bloody Mudbloods in this world, you had to choose Granger?!”
“Silence Draco!” Mr. Malfoy bellowed.
“No, I will not be silent!” Draco answered back, furious that his parents had been silencing him the whole day. “I want to know why you would do something like that!”
Mr. Malfoy sighed and decided it was time he told his son the truth. “Sit,” he instructed. “Narcissa, go make me a cup of tea.”
After Draco had settled down and Mrs. Malfoy had gone off into the kitchen, Mr. Malfoy spoke, choosing his words carefully, “Let’s just say that Granger’s justification of the wedding proposal was partially true.”
Draco stared at his father, stunned by what he had said. So Granger was right, he thought. Draco suspected that his father was up to something, but he would have never guessed that Mr. Malfoy would try something like that. “What do you mean by partially true?” he asked, looking at his father uneasily.
“Well, as much of a know-it-all as she is, she failed to perceive that I'm not going to stop just after getting my reputation back,” Mr. Malfoy explained, his eyes glazed with a sinister dreamy look. He started pacing the rug by the fireplace again and Draco could almost see the gears in his father’s head turning at top speed. “By regaining the trust of the Wizarding World, I will be able to slowly rise up to power again. If everything goes as planned, I may even stand in the next elections as a candidate for the post of Minister Of Magic.
“And, my dear boy, if I win, I may be able to slowly instill my views and principles of how the Ministry should be governed. I will be able to dictate new rules and laws for the Wizarding World and who knows, in due time, maybe we will still be able to wipe muggles and Mudbloods out of our system,” he finished with a look of sadistic glee.
Draco knew his father was being too idealistic. Getting his son married to a muggle-born girl would probably work in helping Lucius Malfoy regain the esteem the Malfoys once possessed, but contesting as the next Minister Of Magic was absurd. Draco was certain that there was no way his father could win that election. Nobody in their right minds would want a suspected former Death-Eater as their future Minister, regardless of whether he had been proven innocent or not.
“Therefore Draco,” Mr. Malfoy spoke again, “I want you to go back to school and try to be nice to Granger. I know it will not be easy, considering she is, after all, nothing more than mere filth, but you have to try to win her over. Do not forget to take advantage of the fact that the both of you will be sharing the same dorm,” he added with the same sinister sparkle in his eyes.
“No way!” Draco protested, his face twisting in disgust. “I'm not going to be nice to Granger! And there is no way I'm going to take advantage of her being in the same dorm as me! Why would you want me to ruin my whole future by getting married to a Mudblood?!”
“Because I want my plan to work. And if that means ruining your whole future or even tainting generations of pureblood tradition, then so be it,” Mr. Malfoy snarled. “You shall do as I say. Do you understand, Draco?”
Draco glared at his father, a defiant look set on his handsome face. “I'm sure there’s some other way of gaining the trust of the Wizarding World. Can’t you make a huge donation to St. Mungo’s or something along those lines?”
“Are you that stupid, Draco?” he asked, casting his son a bemused look. “Anyone can make a donation, but that does not necessarily mean that he instantly becomes a great man in the eyes of other wizards. By regarding my supposed enemy as one of my own and getting her married to my only son, my reputation among the other wizards will increase rapidly for sure. They will praise me for accepting a Mudblood in my pureblood lineage.”
“But why Granger?! Why not any other Mudblood?!” Draco questioned, his anger rising a notch. His father was going to make his only son a scapegoat in his glorious plan, and Draco did not like it one bit. “Why did you have to choose the best friend of Potter?!”
“It’s because of that precise reason, Draco,” Mr. Malfoy explained, slowly losing his patience. “She’s a friend of the great Harry Potter, the Dark Lord’s slayer. Getting you married to her is practically like garlanding Potter as the supreme savior who delivered us from the evil of Lord Voldemort. It would show everyone that I honor Potter’s nobility and bravery, so to speak.” He stopped pacing momentarily and his eyes narrowed in resentment at the thought of Harry Potter, the boy who was responsible for the ultimate downfall of Voldermort. Draco could feel his father radiate with the hatred he felt for Harry.
“And you're willing to do that?” Draco asked cautiously. “You're willing to get me married to the best friend of Potter?”
“In order to accomplish my task, yes,” Mr. Malfoy said with determination. “So Draco, you will do as I say and start being kind that Granger girl. This is my order, do you understand?”
The word ‘kind’ was not in Draco’s dictionary. Hell, it was not in the dictionary of any of the Malfoys. There was no way he was going to be remotely civilized towards Granger, let alone be kind to her. But Draco knew better than to disobey his father. He nodded slowly. “Yes father, I understand,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.
“Good,” Mr. Malfoy breathed. “I'm counting on you, Draco.”
Draco stood up and made his way to his room. Agreeing to Mr. Malfoy did not mean that he was going to carry out his orders. It just meant that his father would think that Draco was carrying out his orders, because there was no way in hell that Draco would get anywhere near that good-for-nothing Mudblood or be nice to her for that matter.
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The day after Lucius Malfoy’s proposal, Hermione had scribbled notes to both Harry and Ron, telling them that she had something very interesting to share with them. In the note, she did not disclose any information about the bizarre marriage proposal, but told them to be patient until she met them on the Hogwarts Express.
The last week of the summer holidays came to an end and the day for Hermione to meet Harry and Ron finally arrived. Her parents drove her to King’s Cross and walked her to platform nine and three-quarters. After a few good-bye hugs and kisses, Hermione made her way up to the Hogwarts Express. She walked along the corridors, poking her head into random compartments, looking for her two best friends.
“Hermione!” Ron’s familiar voice called out from one of the compartments.
Hermione turned to see him waving enthusiastically at her, motioning for her to come into the compartment. She grinned and hurried to meet Ron. He slid open the door fully to let her in and her grin widened when she saw Harry seated there.
“Hello ‘Mione,” Harry greeted, returning her smile. His emerald-green eyes sparkled with genuine happiness. He seemed a good deal less wound up after defeating Voldermort. Though he had endured a lot in the battle, Hermione knew his mind was at ease.
“Hello Harry,” she said, taking a seat next to him. “How was your summer?”
“Hermione, cut the small talk!” Ron interrupted before Harry could reply. “What did you want to tell us?”
Hermione threw Ron an irritated look. “You didn’t have to be so rude, Ron.”
“It’s just that you've kept us in suspense for such a long time,” he said sheepishly. “I've been dying to know what it was you wanted to tell us.”
“I have to agree with Ron, ‘Mione,” Harry said. “I can tell you how my summer was some other time. For now, what was it you wanted to tell us?”
Hermione leaned back in her seat and started explaining to them the Malfoys’ visit to her place and Lucius Malfoy’s suggestion of marriage between Draco and Hermione. When Hermione was done, Harry looked like he had just swallowed a mucus tasting Every-Flavored Bean, while Ron’s jaw was hanging to the floor and his eyebrows shot up so high that they were practically hidden in his bright red hair.
Hermione looked from Harry to Ron. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” she asked them.
“GET MARRIED TO MALFOY?!” Harry hollered.
“THAT’S DISGUSTING!” Ron exclaimed.
“Will you both keep it down!” Hermione whispered urgently. “I don’t want the whole of Hogwarts to know about this!”
There was a moment of hush as the boys tried to calm themselves down. But it did not last very long.
“I cannot believe Lucius Malfoy would think that you’d agree to marrying Malfoy!” Ron said heatedly, looking like he was ready to punch someone, presumably Draco and his father.
“Lucius Malfoy is such a cunning bast””
“Harry!” Hermione gasped before Harry could complete the sentence.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, giving Hermione an apologetic look. “I didn’t think Lucius Malfoy would sink so low just to win the respect of the Wizarding World back.”
“I guess he was desperate,” Ron pointed out, “real desperate.”
“I'm pretty sure he’s not going to give up this easily,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “He’s probably going to try other ways of getting the two of us together.” She cringed at the mere thought of getting together with Draco.
“That’s true,” Harry said.
“Don’t worry ‘Mione, we’ll look out for you,” Ron assured.
Hermione managed a small smile. “Thank you, Ron. But it’s not going to be easy.” She quickly told them that Draco was the new Head Boy and explained what Lucius did to Terry Smithers, the original Head Boy.
“WHAT?!” Harry and Ron yelled in unison.
“So the two of you are going to be sharing dorms?!” Ron spluttered, clearly horrified by the idea.
Hermione nodded slowly. “I'm afraid I don’t have much of a choice.”
Before the discussion could continue further, the compartment door slid open and Draco stepped inside. The tension in the room was evident as Harry and Ron stared hard at Draco, who stared back at them in contempt. Hermione watched as Harry and Ron whipped out their wands, as though it was a reflex action upon seeing Draco.
Hermione squeezed Harry’s hand slightly to make sure he did not do anything rash. She knew that Harry’s extreme dislike for Draco had deepened ever since he, Harry, found out that the Ministry Of Magic had acquitted Lucius Malfoy. Now, Hermione could feel it intensify a level because of the wedding proposal Draco’s father had brought to Hermione’s house with his own foul intentions.
“Oi, Granger, get off your bottom,” Draco said loutishly, “we’re suppose to be in the Perfect’s compartment.” Then he gave her a small smirk. “Normally, I wouldn’t waste my time doing something as trivial as looking for someone like you, but now since I'm Head Boy, I have to at least act somewhat responsible.”
Ron snorted in disgust, his grip on his wand tightening. “You're Head Boy only because your father’s a conniving son-of-a””
Hermione leaped forward to clamp her hand around Ron’s mouth before he could finish his sentence. She did not want her friends giving Draco a reason to do anything to them.
Instead of acting on what Ron said, or was about to say, Draco simply folded his arms and continued to smirk. “You better watch what you say, Weasley. You're a prefect and I'm the new Head Boy. One wrong move and I can suspend you from your prefect duties,” he sneered. He watched in satisfaction as Ron’s face grew a shade red.
“I don’t think you have any right to be so arrogant, Malfoy,” Harry said, his eyes narrowed at Draco. “I mean your father did, after all, come to a muggle-born witch’s house, begging her to marry you. Pretty embarrassing for you, isn’t it?” Now it was Harry’s turn to smirk as the color drained from Draco’s face. “Imagine what the school would think if I happen to let this little secret slip? The famous Draco Malfoy, courting an inferior little Mudblood. I wonder what will become of your reputation if word gets out, Malfoy.”
“I’ll get you for this, Potter,” Draco spat before leaving the compartment.
Ron and Hermione burst into laughter. “That was bloody brilliant, Harry!” Ron said in between fits of laughter. “Did you see the look on Malfoy’s face? Priceless, I tell you!”
Harry joined in the laughter, which eventually subsided. After everyone managed to catch their breaths, Hermione stood up and pulled Ron up beside her. “We ought to be going now, Harry. We’ll catch you later.” With that, Hermione and Ron made their way to the Perfect’s compartment, leaving Harry alone staring out at the passing scenery.
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Author's Note: Just want to thank everyone for reviewing my story! =D