My Best Enemy's Baby

Chapter Seven

...She nodded, “Goodbye, Draco” She turned back to the fireplace and stepped into the flames; saying clearly, “The Burrow”...

Hermione was dazed, ‘marry Malfoy’? She certainly hadn’t thought this morning that she would be engaged by the end of the day; dead maybe, but not engaged.

She walked slowly up to Ginny’s room and sat down on the spare bed which she was using.

‘Wait’ she thought, she didn’t have to marry him! Lucius Malfoy couldn’t tell her what to do, he wasn’t her father. Sure, Draco might get in trouble if his son, or daughter, was born out of wedlock, but that wasn’t her problem was it?

But Should she marry Draco? For the child’s sake? Would it really be so bad? Sure, she didn’t love him, or even like him, particularly! But she didn’t hate him. That was good wasn’t it? She grimaced to herself. Oh god, she couldn’t marry someone when the best thing she could say about them was that she didn’t hate them! Although, that wasn’t strictly true, she also thought he was damn sexy! She groaned.

Her mind kept going over every possible question it could come up with, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice when Ginny walked into the room, having been outside playing quidditch with Harry and her brothers, and tried to get her attention.

“Hello!! Hermione?” Ginny tried for the third time, before Hermione broke out of her thoughts and stared up at her friend.

“I’m sorry. What?” Hermione shook her head clear.

“What are you thinking about?” Ginny was curious.

“Marriage” Hermione said bitterly.

“WHAT? Did he propose? Oh my God! What did you say?” Ginny squealed.

“NO! He didn’t propose. His father demanded that we be married before the baby arrives” She dropped her head into her hands.

“Damn! What did Malfoy say?”

“Well, obviously he wasn’t too happy at being forced into marriage, but I got the impression that arranged marriages are a bit of a thing in his family, so he has had his whole life to get used the idea of being forced to marry someone.”

“A lot of old fashioned pureblood families arrange their children’s marriages.” Ginny stated.

“Yeah, well apparently he was meant to marry Pansy Parkinson.”

“Pansy? Oh, that Slytherin girl? Who was always hanging around him at Hogwarts?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah, but neither of them wanted to be married, and I think his mother wasn’t so keen on forcing him to get married. Until, of course, he gets me pregnant. Now she is all about forcing him into it! God forbid the child should be a bastard!” Hermione exclaimed with mock horror.

Ginny giggled, and then went quiet for a moment before asking, “So what are you going to do?”

Hermione sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Well...” Ginny said slowly, “If Malfoy had proposed to you; what would you have said?”

“No.” Hermione said straight away. Then she said more quietly, almost to herself, “I would have said no.” and with that she jumped up and raced back to the fire place, leaving a surprised Ginny sitting there; stunned at her hasty departure.

When she stumbled into the floo room of Malfoy Manor a house elf was there to greet her.

“Hello, uh, Could you please direct me to Draco Malfoy?” She asked the house elf politely, hating that she had to ask it to do anything.

“If Miss would wait here, Mipsy will get Master Draco for her right away.” said the house elf to Hermione, bowing deeply.

“Thank you, Mipsy” Hermione replied and took a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs to wait for Draco.

When he came into the room, looking confused, Hermione stood up nervously wringing her hands together.

“Hermione, what is it?” asked Draco “Did you forget something?”

She looked down at her feet and said quickly, “Uh, I’m sorry Draco, but I won’t marry you.” Draco started to speak but she cut him off. “I know that your father won’t be happy about it. But I can’t marry someone who I don’t love. I won’t be forced into an engagement, and while your father may be able to force you into it, he has no control over me or my actions.” She took a deep breath and brought her face up to look him in the eyes, “I’m sorry.”

Draco looked slightly hurt, but he said “It’s ok, I understand. Don’t worry about my father, I’ll tell him.”

 “I can stay, and we can tell him together if you would like?” Hermione asked Draco

“I don’t know if that would be such a good idea. He’s likely to get pretty angry.” Draco grimaced at the thought.

“I don’t mind, I would like to stay, just to make sure that it turns out ok.” Hermione said, her Gryffindor courage shining though.

They made their way back to Lucius’s study and Draco knocked on the door.

“What is it?” Lucius called from inside impatiently, “I told you that I have things to do.”

Draco pushed the door open and walked in, Hermione trailing after him. Draco turned to her and said “I’ll handle it.”

“Draco? You know I hate being interrupted.” He scowled down at his son.

Draco cleared his throat, “We have decided that we will not be forced into marriage.”

There was a pause before Lucius replied, “Excuse me? I thought for a moment that you said you weren’t getting married” He glared at Draco “But I know that that couldn’t have been it.” He raised his eyebrows.

Hermione spoke up then, “Mr. Malfoy, I know you have parental authority over Draco, but you have no authority over me. I do not wish to marry your son. And I will not be forced to do so.” She looked him straight in the eye as she said this.

Lucius stood from his chair and sneered down at Hermione, “I will not tolerate the Malfoy heir being raised solely by a mudblood!” He spat the word. “You either marry my son or you do not have the child.”

“Dad, please.” Draco said quietly.

“Be quiet boy, I am not at all happy with you, so do not try my temper anymore!” He hissed at his son only taking his eyes off Hermione for a second. “Well, Miss Granger?”

“I will not give up the child, and I will not enter into a loveless marriage. No one will convince me otherwise, on either front!”

Lucius slammed his fist down on his desk, making Hermione jump, “I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT!” Lucius roared then took a deep breath, “I was not happy with this from the start” He turned to glare at Draco before continuing, “I was willing to compromise, and let you keep the child, but only, and I mean only, if you complied with one condition.”

“Tell me Lucius” Hermione said curiously, “what happens if we don’t comply with this condition? What exactly are you going to do?”

“Nothing illegal, I assure you.” Lucius smirked.

“Father, can’t you just accept that, at this time, we do not wish to be married. It doesn’t mean we can’t raise the child together, Hermione could move into Malfoy Manor” He looked at Hermione when he said this, and when eyes went wide at the idea of moving into the same home as all three of the Malfoy’s, he quickly added “Or, or we could work out another arrangement; something that suited everyone.” Hermione looked relieved.

 “Look, maybe we will, um, fall in love, one day, and get married then.” Hermione said awkwardly; trying to think of something to appease Draco’s father. “But right now I just think that we are too young to be married.”

Lucius curled his lip at Hermione, “Too young to be married? But I suppose you’re old enough for children?” He said with a mocking smile; his voice contemptuous.

Neither Draco nor Hermione had an answer for that so Lucius continued; “So? What will it be? Get married? Or get rid of the child?”

“Neither” Hermione said defiantly.

“YOU WILL CHOOSE!” Lucius bellowed.

“And what are you going to do about if I don’t?”  Hermione smirked at Lucius’s enraged face.

Then it was Lucius’s turn to smirk, “I’ll choose for you.” He said simply.

Hermione looked confused then raised an eyebrow “You can’t force us to be married, it’s not possible, not with the new laws regarding arranged marriages.” She said, almost gloatingly.

“No.” Lucius said, “I can’t. But I can do this” He took out his wand, pointed it at Hermione and hissed “Abortio.”