Chasing Destiny

A/n – Thanks for the reviews people, keep them up!!!!















Hermione made her way down to the Dungeons after dinner, having finally managed to get away from the hoards of congratulatory hugs. She didn’t like people too close to her stomach these days just in case they found her to be a little too rounded.



She knocked on the door and waited. Soon, someone answered it. It was the headmaster.



“Oh, erm, Headmaster, I was just coming to… to…”



He interrupted her babbling. “It is alright Miss Granger. My existing suspicions have just been confirmed by Severus. Come in, come in and I think you had better remove that before he sees it don’t you?” He motioned to her left hand.



“Oh, yes.” She quickly removed it and thrust it into her robes.



Severus sat on the settee looking worse than she had seen him in a long time. His eyes were red and his face was pale. Hermione walked over to him and hugged him. He seemed to come out of the trance he was in and hugged her back. They sat like that for a minute until the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them. They turned to see Albus smiling down at them.



“I think I left it too long before returning. I had better go. Minerva will no doubt be fretting over my absence.” He chuckled and left them alone.



“Severus.”



“Yes?”



“I love you.”



“I love you too Hermione.”



“I’m so sorry that you had to see that. He whispered to me that we should make it more believable so I agreed.” She rambled.



“It’s ok Hermione.” He paused and grabbed her hand. Stroking the inside of her wrist, he continued. “I’ve been thinking and I believe it to be in both of our best interests if we don’t see each other for a while after you get married. Our feelings might show and you know how jealous I get. I doubt I’ll be able to hold in punching him in the face if he kisses you like that in front of me again.”



“I don’t understand. I can sneak down here and see you surely?”



“Hermione, I will have to see you in public with him until the end of the school year when you leave to live at Malfoy Manor. I don’t think I will be able to stand it. I can’t see you in private knowing that you are just going to go back to be with him. It will kill me.”



“But you know nothing will happen it’s just going to be a show.”



“Yes but that show you put on earlier made me want to torture Malfoy slowly. I don’t think I shall be able to control those urges Hermione.” He smiled sadly.



“Then I suppose that this is the last time I will see you then?” She sniffed as her eyes began to water.



“No. I shall find a way to see you before the wedding. I promise.”



Severus put his arm around Hermione and she snuggled into his embrace on the rather comfy sofa. After a while Hermione stood up and left silently. Neither of them wanting to say goodbye.



The next day, Hermione owled her parents with the news of her upcoming nuptials. She hoped that this would make them happy and that they would arrive in time for their coveted wedding.



The next few days were full of wedding preparations and dress fittings. Hermione had managed to convince Draco to let her pick her own dress. Her bump wasn’t that big and she had managed to find the perfect dress that made her look almost normal. It was a corset with cream lace surrounding it and a full flowing silk skirt attached. She had decided to wear her hair up and had chosen lilies to decorate it with. The night before the wedding, Hermione lay in her chambers wondering how her life had become so awful. There was a knock on her door and assuming it was Ginny who had promised to come by with her lillys, she shouted “Its open.”



In walked Lucius Malfoy with a smug grin plastered across his face and a bouquet of lilies in his hands. Hermione shot up and grabbed her dressing gown to cover herself, she had been informed that the Malfoys were staying here in the castle as the ceremony was to be held on the grounds. She was wearing her maternity pyjamas which consisted of ¾ length cotton bottoms and a vest top which seemed to accentuate all of her growing bumps. He stared at her now ample bosom and laughed.



“Oh Hermione, do you expect that you will be married to my son and be able to hide from me forever?”



“It won’t be forever, just until he gets his inheritance. After that, I’ll be gone.” She put her dressing gown down and snatched the flowers from him.



“That Weasley wench in the hall had those for you. I told her that we had some pre wedding things to discuss and she left them with me.” The moonlight shone in through the window and seemed to accentuate the developing roundness of her stomach. “I didn’t realise you were so far along. You’re what? Four, Five months?”



Hermione put her hand on her stomach protectively. He didn’t know that her child had been conceived on the night of the dark lord’s downfall and she wanted to keep it that way. “It’s none of your business. Why are you here?” She stood opposite him and waited.



“I came to give you this.” He handed her a small box. Inside was a necklace made of gold and silver twisted together. The stone in the middle was Slytherin green and as vulgar as its owner. “It’s been in my family for years and you will be expected to wear it tomorrow.



Hermione lifted it and inspected the jewel. “What enchantment is on this? I can almost smell the spells on the stone.” She looked up at Lucius.



He smiled. “You are a very clever girl. The spells are those of obedience. They are on every Malfoy woman on her wedding day making her easier to handle. Put it on now so that I can command you not to tamper with it.”



“Are you mad? I’ll do no such thing.” She threw it back into the box and offered it back to him.



“There are many Malfoy traditions of which I have chosen not to uphold. For example, the night of passion in which the father of the groom takes the bride’s supposed virginity, or the pre nuptial agreement which disallows the bride to carry on with any employment or education that she might have in mind. Most of all, I am keeping your dear sweet Severus out of jail at the moment so put the necklace on and shut up.” He glared at her fiercely and waited. Hermione did as she was told and put on the necklace.



She felt strangely light-headed for a minute and had to sit down. Lucius approached the bed and sneered. “You will not remove this necklace until a Malfoy instructs you too. You will in no way attempt to tamper with it nor will you get anyone else to do so. Is that understood?”



Hermione felt tears sting her eyes and nodded. Minutes later, Lucius had gone and she sat alone hugging her swollen stomach, just wishing Severus was there with her.