Love Thy Enemy

CHAPTER 2: Sentencing







“All rise for the Minister of Magic.” Everyone in the courtroom stood as Kingsley Shacklebolt took his place behind the pulpit, a smile on his face as he looked down at the two people in his courtroom. It had taken almost all night, but he, with the help of Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley, had come up with what he felt would be an effective punishment for the two of them.





“Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger, please step forward.” The bailiff instructed as he stepped out of the shadows. “Hold out your left hands.” Lucius and Hermione both complied in confused curiosity. The bailiff withdrew two platinum bands and slid them onto their fingers. Immediately the metal grew hot and glowed bright orange for a moment before returning to its normal state.





“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.” Kingsley said, smiling.







“What?” Hermione’s head snapped up, her face paling visibly at his words.







“Surely this is a joke…” Lucius said, trying in vain to remove the band from his finger. “You can’t marry me to……that.” Lucius said, staring at her in horror.





“Oh, it’s not a jest. And I can do what I see fit Mr. Malfoy. It was brought to my attention that you are two exceedingly intelligent, clever and passionate individuals, and that perhaps had your past been different, you would have made a delightful couple.” Kingsley said.





“But sir, you can’t marry me to a man I don’t love! It’s not fair!” Hermione said trying franticly to slide the ring from her finger.





“I don’t care about fair Ms. Granger. I have had enough of the two of you. Your behavior puts others at risk when you draw your wands in public. Since you seem so passionate about one another, it seemed logical that you should wed.” Kingsley muttered the incantation that would activate the enchantment on their rings. Instantly Lucius and Hermione were dragged from their places on opposite sides of the court to the center, locked together.



“What the hell, get away from me you oaf!” Hermione screamed, smacking at Lucius’s shoulders.





“I can’t you little termagant! Do you think I want to be this close to you?” He said, grabbing her wrists and stilling her attack on his person.





“Now, we should go over a few details.” Kingsley said, pleased to see them turn their attention back to him. “The rings on your fingers are bewitched, and you can not remove them by any means, not even amputation. Negative intentions towards your spouse will cause them to lock you together. You will not be able to harm, or even consider harming your spouse without the spell intervening. Furthermore, you will not be permitted to avoid each other. You will live together, eat together, socialize together, and even sleep together.”





“Now wait a minute! You can not force me to bed this little fishwife!” Lucius said.





“As if I would want you to!” Hermione said indignantly.





“You should be so lucky.” Lucius sneered.





“I said you would sleep together, share the same bed, anything else that occurs in said bed, as long as it is consensual is none of my business.” Kingsley said. “As I was saying, you will remain faithful to your spouse; the spell will intervene should you attempt to stray. Ms. Granger, your personal belongings have been moved from your rooms in the Potter’s home to your husbands home in Wiltshire. This is a legal and binding marriage, so do not even think to try and have it dissolved. For better or for worse, the two of you have made your bed and you shall now sleep in it, together.” Kingsley banged the gavel.





“How do we separate?” Lucius asked, still unable to remove the little witch from his person.





“You must kiss your bride Mr. Malfoy…..and before you try, you have to mean it, or it just won’t work.” Kingsley was laughing as he left the courtroom, the jurors following behind him, leaving the Malfoys alone in the center of the room.





“This is your fault Lucius.” Hermione snapped, still struggling against him.





“I was not the only one involved, HERMIONE.” He said, wishing she would stop wriggling against him.





“So what are we supposed to do now?” She was looking around the room as though she might find something to pry them apart.





“I wish I knew. I had not intended to be saddled with another wife. I rather enjoyed my freedom as a widower.” He drawled, his eyes rolling heavenwards to avoid looking at her.







“Well I certainly had no desire for a husband, especially not you! This is cruel and unjust punishment.” She huffed, pushing against his chest and only getting an inch or two between them before they were slammed back together.





“Seems to me you got the better end of the deal. Married to a wealthy pureblood, your social standing just skyrocketed. I on the other hand get a little mudblood bride to pollute my home and my bed.” He said.





“This wouldn’t happen in the muggle courts.” She said, stomping her little foot in frustration.





“Well unfortunately you opted not to stay in the muggle world, therefore you are subject to the whims of the magical courts and they don’t always see things reasonably.” Lucius said sniffing delicately. “You smell fruity.” He said.





“You look fruity, pretty boy.” She retorted. “Any ideas on how we get free? I really do not want to walk around stuck to the front of you.”





“He said we have to kiss, and mean it. What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucius muttered to himself.





“I don’t want to kiss you.” Hermione frowned.





“I don’t want to kiss you either, but I also don’t want to live my life out with a witch permanently attached to my front either!” Lucius grabbed her chin roughly and gave her a quick, rough kiss on the lips. “Damn it! We’re still stuck.” Hermione wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at him.





“What did he mean by “you have to mean it”?” Hermione asked. She glanced over to the stack of papers on the table in the center of the room. “We need to get over there so we can read more about our sentence and this…..marriage.”





They tried shuffling to the side, but the awkwardness of it almost toppled them. Lucius took a deep breath and looked down at her for a moment.



“Do you dance?” He asked.





“On occasion, what does that have to do with this?” Hermione asked. Lucius laid a hand at the small of her back and took her other hand in his.





“Perhaps if we waltz, we will not end up in a heap on the floor.” Lucius hummed softly while Hermione stared at the wizard as if he had lost his mind. She allowed him to lead her across the room gracefully to the table. No doubt anyone watching thought they were both daft.





“Well, not the most romantic wedding dance, but it did the trick.” Hermione said. Lucius actually laughed before reaching for the stack of papers. He tried to read them, but it was awkward. So with a smirk he set the pages atop the head of his much shorter bride. “Hey! That’s not funny Lucius.”





“Be still, I’m reading.” He said, smiling as he read the terms. “Apparently the only way for us to part is to exchange a kiss of mutual affection or shared desire.”





“Eww….I have no affection or desire for you what so ever.” Hermione said, glaring up at the blonde giant when he removed the papers from her head.





“It doesn’t say your desire has to be for me, just a shared desire.” He said, reading on. “It will not recognize small pecking kisses either, damn. And the enchantment on the rings will only be broken if the couple finds true love together, damn, and damn again.” He tossed the stack of papers onto the table and looked down at the woman in front of him. She was cute he supposed. She was rather petite; the top of her head didn’t quite reach his shoulders. She was curvy in all the right places and carried herself well. Her hair was a disaster, dark brown and shot through with gold and red highlights, it hung to her waist in a riot of uncontrolled curls. She had the most incredible eyes however, the color of amber. Cute or not, she was a muggleborn, and his enemy since her youth.





“So we are to live out our lives, forced together by the government in a marriage that is unbreakable. At the mercy of an enchantment that requires us to have only happy thoughts else we be forced into intimacy?” Hermione asked incredulously as she looked up into his face. He was a beautiful man, always had been. His golden skin and platinum hair drew attention, and those cold silver eyes could cut like a blade. He was her enemy, and he always would be.





“That’s how it appears. So can we agree that we share a mutual desire to be free from one another?” He asked, anxious to get away from her.





“Yes.” She conceded.





“Don’t get too excited.” He smirked, lowering his head and kissing her softly. “You have to kiss back in order for it to work.” He said against her lips. With a resigned sigh she parted her lips slightly and returned the kiss. It was just a brief, soft caress of lip on lip but it apparently satisfied the terms and they were released.





Both of them took several steps apart and stared at the other. Lucius brushed the front of his robes, frowning at the wrinkled fabric.





“Well, now that we have handled that piece of distasteful business, we should probably make our way to my home to read the remaining terms so that we may try to avoid such unpleasantness in the future.” He said, picking up the court documents.





“I don’t know how to get to your house, it was dark the last time I was there and I was thrown in your dungeon if you recall.” She said, trying very hard not to have ill thoughts of him. Lucius smiled slightly.





“Very well, come with me.” He didn’t wait for her; he marched out of the courtroom, ignoring the snickering guards as he retrieved his cape and cane. He turned to see her shrugging into a rather ugly tweed cloak and hat and frowned. “If you are going to be a Malfoy, we need clothe you properly.”



“It’s easy to judge from your high horse Lucius, some of us have to work for a living and can’t afford fancy clothes.” She said, tucking her wand into her pocket.





“You work?” He asked, gesturing her to follow him through the halls of the ministry.





“I did, until you got me fired.” She snapped, trying to keep up with him.





“I can afford to clothe you, don’t worry.” He said, waving his hand in front of the door to open it.





“Are you so lazy you can’t even push the door open? You have to use magic?” She asked, following him out into the bright sunlight.





“You never know who has touched those doors; they could have any numbers of nasty things crawling on them.” He stopped at the end of the walk and looked down at the out of breath witch. She had been running practically to keep up with him. “I suppose I have to do a side-along.” He said, putting his arm around her waist and disapparating them to his home in Wiltshire.