The Given Choices

On Saturday morning in the Sixth year Slytherin dorm room, Draco
pulled his leather boots on as Blaise sat on the edge of his bed and
watched his best friend get ready for the meeting sealing his fate.
The blond picked up the package that arrived Friday morning from his
father. Inside, there was thin black, leather strap that was
instructed to be worn on his left wrist for the meeting and
permanently thereafter. Also a Malfoy family crest ring instructed
for his right ring finger, which was a portkey to the meeting in
fifteen minutes.



As Draco pulled on his cloak, his best friend stood up and headed to
the door but stopped right before. \"Are you sure about this, Draco?\"



Indigo eyes meet silver eyes as silence and stillness came over the
room. \"I will do what I have to do.\"



\"And what of Hermione?\"



Draco lowered his eyes at her name. But pulled his hood up as he
whispered, \"One day, she will understand everything I am doing today
and why I have made this decision.\"



The dark-haired wizard shook his head as he opened the door and
stated, \"She loves you, you know.\"



With a few steps, he was at Zabini\'s side as he replied, \"And I will
love her forever. Now, why don\'t you walk me outside.\"



Both boys walked in silence through the castle and to the edge of
the Forbidden Forest. They separated and gave a single nod to each
other right before Draco disappeared. A few moments he found himself
on grassy cliff by the side of dark blue ocean. To his right, there
were close to fifty cloaked figures; Death Eaters. Some people had
their hoods up and some not. He recognized his father within the
center of the large group. He walked quickly to his side and the
older Malfoy smiled proudly as he let his son take an empty spot by
his side.



At the sound a clap of thunder from the cloudless sky, Lucius placed
a hand on Draco\'s shoulder to put him on one knee. Everyone became
silent and a dark green throne appeared on the other side of him.
Draco was on his left knee between his father and the empty throne
of the Dark Lord. He slightly raised his eyes when he heard the
crowd separate and every Death Eater dropped to their knees. There
his future master walked towards him but he saw that he was followed
by a hooded, cloaked figure, which was followed by Severus Snape.



Once Voldemort had taken his seat, the figure took their knee in
front of him about two feet from Draco but he still wasn\'t able to
make out the face. Then the voice of the Dark Lord got his attention
away from the unknown person. \"All may rise.\"



The sound of many fabrics rustled filled the clearing as everyone
got to their feet. Then Voldemort spoke again, \"Today is a very
special day for our side because two of the strongest, new bloods
are about to join our ranks. First, I present Draco Malfoy, son of
Lucius Malfoy. Stand before me, young Malfoy.\"



Draco followed the directions and stood to the right of the still
unknown, cloaked guest. He dropped to his knee as he kissed the Dark
Lord\'s hem of his robes. Yet, he stayed on his knee as Voldemort
stated to him but loud enough for all to hear, \"Are you ready to
give your body, mind, and soul to our cause and me, Lord Voldemort,
as your only master from this day on?\"



\"I am, my lord,\" Draco replied but kept his eyes to the ground as he
was earlier instructed from his father.



\"Good. Now, our guest is also joining our side and will be a very
powerful alley. I present to you Silver Draconis,\" he announced. The
hooded figure lowered her hood and the long straight black hair was
released to hit the middle of her back.



There were whispers and gasps among the Death Eaters as she went to
her knee next to Draco and kissed the hem of Voldemort\'s robes.
Draco was not able recognize the slender female whose pale skin
almost matched his own. After a moment, the figure on the throne got
to his feet and stood in front of the two youths that were knelt in
front of him. Neither of them had to nerve to look up, only a thin
smile was visible just under the edge of the hood. Then he spoke
again, \"Miss Draconis, are you ready to give your body, mind, and
soul to our cause and me, Lord Voldemort, as your only master from
this day on?\"



\"I am, my Lord,\" she replied and Draco noticed that her hand was
trying to say calm as if she clinched her fist. He had not
recognized this young woman\'s voice either but she looked as if to
be his age.



\"Draco and Silver, please turn toward each other and extend your
left forearms for me. Then I want your right hands to connect as
well. Lucius and Severus, place your hands on the shoulders of these
two,\" Voldemort ordered, and all four people did as he requested. It
was the first time Draco had Draconis\' silver eyes. Professor Snape
stood behind the silent girl and put both hands on her shoulders.



He looked to the strap of leather on his left wrist as their left
arms touched and then something changed. His eyes looked up and saw
Hermione in front of him with a similar strap on her left arm but it
had the name Silver Draconis on it. He was utterly confused but
looked into the brown eyes that he had fallen in love with, which
this was he looked into them since their fight. Draco sensed a
change in Hermione, which was obvious because she was there. There
were a many emotions that danced in her eyes as he felt his father\'s
strong grip on his shoulders. All his thoughts were on showing her
how much he loved her and to show it there, in his eyes. His right
hand thumb grazed the top of her in a calming way to have her feel
that everything was going to be okay.



Draco enjoyed the warm of her arm against his and wished he were
able to feel more of her warmth because that was what he needed, her
warmth. With their arms that touched in front of them, the Dark Lord
moved closer and raised his wand as he uttered the
curse, \"Morsmorde.\"



The pain in his arm immediately made his eyes close with pain and he
felt her grip his hand harder. Draco let her release all her pain on
his hand and he took both pains with only a slight hiss from his
pursed lips. After a moment, the pain began to go away and he was
able to open his eyes. There on the edges of her chocolate eyes was
a thin line of tears that threatened to fall. With his right hand,
he gave a little squeeze that showed that he was proud of her. The
hands on her shoulders moved in a calming way to try to relax her
tension.



\"Severus, please come here,\" their new `master\' stated from next to
them. Now, Draco was confused because that should\'ve been the end of
the ceremony. Yet, the fact that the Potions Master stepped over to
them and held a small purple, velvet bag in his hand was making him
begin to worry.



Voldemort pulled out some ribbons from the small pouch that Snape
was holding to his right. With several multi-colored ribbons in his
hand, Draco suddenly realized what was going to happen. He looked up
to Hermione, who had her eyes closed as she seemed to trying to
forget the pain in her left arm. The Dark Lord began again, \"Today
with the joining of these two to our sides, I will also be joining
them to each other to make the most powerful union that there has
been in many years.\"



Yes, her eyes flew open at that statement. With the slightest
touches he was able to do while still holding her hand, he silently
pleaded her to trust him and not to get excited. The last thing that
any of them needed was Hermione to try to run at this point, because
Voldemort was about to marry them in front of all Death Eaters; and
what seemed to be, without her prior knowledge.



Draco shut out the words that the Dark Lord was reciting because he
had heard them several times during other binding ceremonies. He was
focused to show Hermione that he loved her with all his heart.
Slowly the cold fingers of Voldemort brought both of their hands to
lie on top of each other. So many emotions were dancing on her face
that he was very afraid that she was about to do something rash and
foolish.



Then it reached the part was Draco was to recite his vows to her.
Damn to everyone that was around, he put his heart into the words in
then recited because they came from his heart. \"I, Draco Xavier
Malfoy, have come here on my own free will in perfect love and
perfect trust.\"



Her breathing seemed to start to speed up but the Potions Master
squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring manner just once. Then she
raised her eyes to Draco\'s as she spoke, \"I, Hermione Jane Granger,
have come here on my own free will in perfect love and perfect
trust.\"



The crowd had not reacted when she stated her true name, so the
illusion must\'ve also covered her speaking her name. Snape reached
down and held out two silver rings with black Celtic marks etched
into the sides of the rings in front of them. Draco picked up the
one with a diamond in the middle as he still held her right hand.
She reached over and took the other thicker band. Draco placed the
band on her ring-finger as he recited, \"I, Draco, commit myself to
be with you in joy and adversity, in wholeness and brokenness, in
peace and turmoil, living with you faithfully all of our days. May
the Gods give me the strength to keep these vows, so be it.\"

\"I, Hermione, commit myself to be with you in joy and adversity, in
wholeness and brokenness, in peace and turmoil, living with you
faithfully all of our days. May the Gods give me the strength to
keep these vows, so be it,\" she repeated as she slipped the sliver
ring onto his finger. A slight smile reached the corners of her
mouth when he watched the ring to into place as a symbol of their
future.



They held right-hand to right-hand and left-hand to left-hand as
with their bodies from above it appeared they formed the symbol for
eternity. From the side, the two hands from Voldemort\'s robes
pulled and tied their wrists with first a red cord as a symbol of
strength, passion, and courage. Then the next cord was green to
symbolize growth, ambition, and prosperity. Next the cord was blue
which represented tranquility, loyalty, and patience. Finally the
Dark Lord bonded them by the last cord from Severus\' sack, the
silver cord laid on top to signify purity, protection, and
creativity.



Next a small emerald-studded dagger was in one of Lucius\'s hands and
the Potions Master held out a small silver box. Draco tilted his
head to the side as his father used the dagger to cut off a small
amount of his hair, which was then placed into the box. Then the two
older men exchanged items and Hermione duplicated her love\'s action
to enable her mentor to take some hair from the base of her neck.
The hair changed from brown to black and then back to brown as the
lid of the box with both of their hairs closed. The box with their
hair was to represent their future relationship as an intimate one.



Voldemort took the knife and moved it to where the couples\' hands
were bound. As he inserted the knife into the space between their
hands and the cords, he spoke, \"Be strong and true, each with the
other. Be truthful and respectful. Be sensuous with one another.
Have no fear and let not the ways of unenlightened give you ease,
for the Gods are with you now and always.\"



Hermione bit her lip as the dagger cut lightly into their skin as it
went through. The magic of their now blood bonding and red swirl of
air danced around their bonded hands as it sealed their wounds and
their bodies together forever. As soon as the swirl disappeared, the
cords were cut and fell to the ground but Draco continued to hold
her hands.



The Dark Lord placed his hands on their shoulders and that was when
he noticed that he also wore a band just like his. He knew that
Silver Draconis was Hermione Granger. Voldemort spoke again, \"You
both are bound together in a bond that can not be broken as you are
bonded to me and the others. Please rise. I announce you for the
first time as Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy.\"



Clapping came from everyone around them as Draco pulled her into his
arms and into a passionate kiss. A bell from somewhere behind them
rang three times. When the kiss was over, the couple continued to
hold each other as Lucius, Severus, and Bellatrix stepped up to
them. Then the Dark Lord spoke, \"I will be seeing the two of you
when the time is ready. The meeting is now over. Till next time.\"



With that, he disappeared from the spot and the small group of
family touched their backs as a portkey was activated to whisk them
away to another location.



The small group appeared in the foyer of a large manor. Draco
continued to hold Hermione\'s hand as Lucius glanced around and
stated, \"It\'s been years since I\'ve been here Bellatrix. Lestrange\'s
Manor appears to be as grand as ever. Well, this certainly is a
glorious day for our side and our family.\"



Snape stepped behind Draco as the youth\'s father took Hermione\'s
free hand in his and commented, \"You are truly a welcomed addition
to the family, Hermione. Come Bellatrix; let\'s go tell Narcissa the
wonderful news.\"



\"I\'ll follow in a moment, Lucius,\" the dark-haired woman replied and
the elder Malfoy gave a curt nod as he Disapparated. Bellatrix
glanced around the room and then to the young couple and took both
of her daughter\'s hands in her own as Draco\'s hand went to
Hermione\'s elbow. \"This was the house I was placed in during my
marriage to a cruel man and his disgusting brother. Now, I give it
to the two of you with hopes, that it becomes filled with happy
times and precious memories to replace the older memories within
these walls.



\"I know the marriage was a surprise to you but it will all work out.
I am proud you made your own choice to by my side. Well done, my
daughter. I\'d be proud to call you a Black, if you did not just get
a new name. But Malfoy is well-fitting. Take care of her, Draco,\"
the witched stated as she smiled so brightly. Hermione\'s small smile
was completely false to people that knew her well, but Bellatrix did
not and considered Hermione to be happy.



Draco gently kissed her cheek as he softly spoke, \"I will. Always.\"



Ms. Black sighed in delight and commented, \"Now, I must go celebrate
this magnificent day with Narcissa. Are you coming, Severus?\"



Professor Snape gave a slight bow as he replied, \"I am afraid I must
decline. There are stories that need to be created for these two.
Enjoy yourself, Bellatrix.\"



Bellatrix leaned forward to kiss Hermione on each cheek as she
whispered, \"I am so happy, Hermione. Completely happy for the first
time in a very long while. I\'ll be in contact with you, my darling.\"



With a slight crack, the female Death Eater disappeared and all let
out a breath as they relaxed. Hermione stepped away from Draco\'s
grip and hugged her arms across her chest. Her back was to the two
males but it was clear she was upset. Snape crossed the space
between them and walked around to face her. She looked up at him and
grief showed clearly on her face. His soft voice was not something
he had ever used around her but he gently spoke, \"I was not able to
inform either of you about the bonding. The Dark Lord clearly stated
that if either of you seemed aware or prepared for the ritual that
it would cost me my life. I know that it this would be all right in
end.\"



Hermione spoke from the first time since vowing in front of all the
Death Eaters her hand in marriage to Draco, \"All right? How is this
all right? I married to a-\"



\"Death Eater,\" Snape finished her sentence but continued, \"and a spy
for the Order, as you and I are also.\"



Her brown eyes went big and she whipped around to face her new
husband, who gave a small nod at her unasked question. The Potions
Master spoke up again as he straighten his cloak, \"I am sure there
is a lot to be talked over. The Headmaster has given the two of you
permission to take two days to celebrate your nuptials. I will
return Monday evening at nine to take you back to Hogwarts.
Hermione, I would suggest you take this potion before you two get
too far along in your talking. Good day to the both of you. Relax
and enjoy the time you are given. You did very well today and I am …
proud of both of you.\"



With that, the Potions Master gave shudder as if he just said a vile
thing and then Disapparated leaving the two youths alone in the
large estate. It was the first time they had been alone since
Hermione had told Draco of his choices but not knowing she had her
own decisions to make as well.



Hermione took a seat on the bottom step of the marble staircase in
the edge of the large, elegant foyer and said, \"So, you changed your
mind.\"



Draco smirked as he took a spot next to her as he leaned back on the
stairs and said, \"Let\'s say I re-evaluated my choices, asked Severus
some questions, went into his Pensieve and then made up my own mind.
This was the best option. I must admit I felt better about it once I
knew that Snape was also a double-spy. When I went to Dumbledore, I
was still under the assumption that he was a pure Death Eater but I
did not know about you coming today. When did that happen?\"



Hermione played with the purple potion the glass tube that Snape
gave her. She recognized it as a contraception potion and blushed
slightly as her finger held it. After a moment, she admitted, \"Last
Saturday, I overheard your father tell Snape that Voldemort wanted
me at the same time you took the Mark. The binding must\'ve been
mentioned in the letter he gave Snape and it was not spoken out
loud. But after he left, I realized that I was in the perfect
position to become a valuable spy for the Order. Also, doing this
takes some weight off Severus as he could prove his loyalty when I
came with him today.\"



\"Yeah, that was a surprise,\" Draco chuckled. Hermione looked down
and began to pick at the invisible lint on her black cloak. He
wrapped his arm around her lower back as he leaned into her and
asked, \"What\'s wrong, my love?\"



Hermione rested back against his chest and replied, \"I\'m just scared
of what could happen in the future. I\'m a Death Eater, I just
married a Death Eater and we\'re both playing the two sides in the
middle of a war. Maybe this wasn\'t the best of ideas.\"



\"Hey, like I told Bellatrix, I am going to take care of you. This
was the right thing to do with the choices we were given. As the
loony, old man we call a Headmaster reminded me as I left the office
a few days ago `The time has come to make the choice between what is
right and what is easy.\' And my dear, we did not choose the easy way
out but the right way,\" he commented as he linked his left hand with
his silver wedding ring with her left hand. \"With you being the
brilliant, brave Gryffindor and me being the handsome, cunning
Slytherin, we\'ll make out all right. I promise.\"



\"You can\'t really promise that, Draco. But its nice to hear anyway.\"



She cracked a smile and pushed against him a little. Then Hermione
turned to face his smirking face and then leaned into kiss him. His
free hand quickly found the back of her head as he slipped his
tongue into her mouth to deepen their first kiss in two weeks. After
several minutes of tasting something they both truly missed, Draco
pulled back and took the vile out of her hands as he stated, \"I
think it is about time for you to take this. We don\'t have to do
that immediately but just in case.\"



Hermione pushed him back against the stairs with a hard kiss and
then moved her kisses along his jaw to his ear as she murmured, \"I
think that is a very good idea but I plan on consummating my
marriage to my incredibly sexy, new husband.\"



Draco popped the cork out of the glass tube and handed it to her.
She slowly drained the sour liquid as her hand crept up his thigh to
budge in his slacks. The empty glass was barely an inch from her
lips before he yanked it out of her hands and threw it against the
far corner, where it immediately shattered. He deftly stood up and
lifted her laughing body into his strong arms as he said, \"Enough
talk, we have more urgent matters to see to, my wicked wife.\"



~*~*~* To Be Continued ~*~*~**~

A/N2: I used the following sites in the above chapter as a resource
on the handfasting: http://www.handfasting.info/h_symbols.html

http://www.morbidoutlook.com/lifestyle/spirituality/2002_02_handfasti
ng.html