To Save the Life of a Mudblood

Chapter Eight

Lucius Malfoy... Champion of Mudbloods???

Narcissa and Hermione made their way back towards the library after their lunch only to stop short when angry voices drifted to them from Lucius's drawing room. Narcissa tried to grab the younger woman's arm and pull her away, but Hermione jerked out of her reach and headed to the door of the drawing room, sure that they were arguing about her. The older woman followed with an aggravated sigh.

"...pregnant, Draco! Do you understand!? Do you know how this looks!"

"Obviously I had no idea, Father. And, yes, I do know how this looks, but what exactly do you expect me to do about it?"

"Pay her off."

"It's hardly my money she wants! It's my name."

"Well, she won't get it."

"She could if Hermione has her way."

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy, Hermione Granger could very well be the best thing to come into your life. Do not screw this up."

"Father, she hates me! And to be honest, I don't exactly like her either. Although she is much better now than when we were in school."

"You don't have to love each other, Draco, just find a way to make it work."

"That, father, is asking alot."

"Eavesdropping doesn't become you, Hermione," Narcissa scolded, finally pulling the other witch away from the door.

"What are they talking about?" Hermione demanded.

The blond witch sighed sadly.

"Astoria's mother owled this morning to let us know that her daughter was expecting... and she demanded that Draco find a way to... fix this situation with you. Something about her grandchild being a bastard. I reminded her that Astoria and Draco were married when she conceived, so that would hardly make the baby illegitimate."

Just then Draco came storming out of his father's drawing room, his face red and his eyes suspiciously bright. Hermione only paused a moment before following the upset man.

"Malfoy, wait!" she called.

"What!" he snapped at her.

His tone of voice caused her to stop short. He took a deep breath, then another.

"I'm sorry, what did you need?" he asked, calmer this time.

"I heard you and your father arguing. Are you okay?"

Draco's jaw clenched in anger.

"I'm fine. I forgot that eavesdropping was one of your many qualities."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"You should be happy. You have your precious heir, and now a good incentive to help me dissolve this farce of a marriage."

"You think I should be happy? You are out of your mind, Granger."

"No, Malfoy, that would be you! Why in the world would you rather be married to me than her?"

"You want to know why?" he seethed, stalking towards her. "This is why."

Malfoy grabbed her arms and jerked her to him, smashing his mouth against hers. She felt heat pooling in her stomach and a now familiar ache begin before ripping away from the taller man.

"You felt that, don't lie to me. You want to know how Astoria got in the position she's in now? Tons of potions. Even then it was hard for me to... rise to the occasion. And do you remember how many potions I took that first night? No? Well let me remind you," with that he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "zero."

Hermione took a step away once more.

"Granger, do you want to know why I wasn't all that upset in the end to be stuck in a marriage with you? Because Astoria Greengrass bores the hell out of me! Even if you and I don't always get along, at least life with you is never boring!"

"I don't get it Malfoy, why would you marry someone you can't stand?"

"It wasn't my idea, nor my intention. She was my consolation prize for giving up someone I did care about. Daphne, I would have been happy with. We weren't madly in love, but she was a good friend and I cared about her, that is why I let her go. I had no idea at the time that her insipid sister would be her replacement."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. Astoria is blackmailing me, more or less. There is a ball this evening, at the Parkinson residence, and she has demanded that I attend with her and that we announce our 'little bundle of joy' or she is going to go straight to the Prophet with this whole sordid tale. She wants us to just pretend that nothing has changed. The only book in the ministry that would show our dissolution is hardly ever opened, since Wizarding marriages are usually for life, so it would be a long time before anyone would stumble across the information. My father and I were hoping to keep it quiet until we knew how we wanted to handle the whole situation... and we were wanting to be on the same page... all of us, you included, when we did finally make an announcement. That won't happen if she blabs to Rita Skeeter!"

Hermione's face had paled during Malfoy's rant. She had wanted to be the one to tell her friends about this whole predicament, but that wouldn't happen if Astoria told the whole world!

"Will she accept a compromise? Tell her you will go to the ball with her tonight, but that you want to wait to tell anyone about the baby. Use the excuse that most Purebloods miscarry many times and that you don't want to announce it, then have to go back and tell everyone that you lost the baby," she suggested.

"I can try, but I would rather not go with her at all."

"It's just one night, surely you can stomach it."

Draco sighed.

"I suppose if I must, I must."

"Malfoy, I..."

Just then Lucius Malfoy came around the corner.

"Draco, isn't there a floo call you should be making?"

"Yes, father, I was just on my way. Granger, I'll talk you later. Meet me in the library in an hour?"

"Of course," she answered as the younger Malfoy turned and all but ran up the stairs.

"Miss Granger, may I have a word with you?" Lucius asked politely.

Hermione nodded and followed the head of the Malfoy family back into his drawing room. He went over to a shelf set back into the wall and retrieved a bottle of firewhiskey.

"You don't mind, do you? I find I need something after the morning I've had."

"I don't mind," she replied cautiously, wondering what the older man had to say to her.

"Would you care for something?"

"No thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione noticed he didn't offer her the use of his first name, which was probably better as she didn't know if she could bring herself you use it anyway.

"Miss Granger, let me be frank. This situation we find ourselves in is highly unusual. There is no precedent and any way that you look at, it doesn't bode well."

She couldn't help but agree with him on that aspect.

"I have to tell you that I have found one possible solution to dissolving this union, but I am not sure it is exactly what you are looking for."

"I would like any information you have Mr. Malfoy," she told him eagerly, hoping that maybe an answer was within her grasp.

"This book," he said, indicating an old tome sitting on his desk, "says that the enchantments that act upon you during the full moon will disappear and the binding holding you together will weaken, possibly even enough to break it, after the birth of a child."

Hermione's heart plummeted, that was not what she was hoping to hear. Lucius held the book out to her.

"Feel free to peruse it on your own if you don't believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I was hoping for something else."

"Perhaps you will find another answer."

With that he turned his back on her and made his way over to the large window overlooking the elegant Malfoy gardens. Hermione turned to leave but hesitated.

"Mr. Malfoy, what are you going to do about Astoria?" she couldn't help but ask.

Lucius turned to look at her.

"I was just thinking about that and I have an idea, but unfortunately it would need your full support and I highly doubt we would have that."

Hermione tried not to look affronted.

"I'm in this as much as Draco, if I can help I will," she told him.

His mouth turned up in a dangerous smile.

"Would you now, Miss Granger?"

She swallowed hard.

"What is your idea?"

"To go to the Prophet first. With our own version of the events. People always believe the first story they read, so we give them what we want them to believe. Astoria has something hanging over us, something that gives her power over us, and I do not like that. I have my doubts that she is really pregnant, and even if she is, I would wonder if the baby was really Draco's, but that is neither here nor now. I want to feed the Prophet a story of forbidden love, of a marriage forced on Draco by Astoria and her family, his fear that Narcissa and I would not approve of you two together, then his return to the Manor and your reconciliation and marriage. He was only married a matter of weeks, it wouldn't look great, but the fact that he left her early on rather than live in a lie would help cover the embarrassing part. Then we show you as a happy couple, finally together after years of heartache and deception. With Narcissa and I fully supporting your union, of course," he finished with a small sip of his liquor.

All Hermione could do was stare. She tried to imagine her friends expressions when they would read the story. It wasn't pleasant.

"That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard."

"To anyone who really knew you and Draco, perhaps, but to hundreds of gossip column readers who thrive on scandal? Who live in a fantasy world where good and love always triumph? I think it would work."

Hermione hated to admit it, but it probably would. The only problem with this story was that she would have to be willing to stand by Draco, at least until the whole shock blew over... still, it was better than her stupidity being smeared across the tabloids.

"What does your son think of this?"

"He thinks you will never agree, but he does admit that it is a good idea."

Hermione thought for a moment, then rushed ahead before she could change her mind.

"I'll do it," she blurted out.

Lucius's eyebrows went up, a shocked look on his face.

"But I want to talk to my friends first, explain to them what's really going on, or at least some of what's going on, and I want to make it clear that this doesn't mean I don't still want the union dissolved, we'll just wait a bit. Let everything die down, then we can dissolve it, blame it on young emotions, now we know better, things just aren't working out, whatever excuse we want to use, people will have forgotten about the scandal by then."

Lucius wasn't so sure of that, but if this bought his son and Miss Granger some time, then he would take what he could get.

"Perhaps Draco can convince Astoria to forgo the ball this evening in favor of Saturday's gala at the Ministry, that would buy you time to contact your friends and for us to contact the Prophet, then you and Draco can make your appearance rather than Astoria," he suggested.

"That would work. I'll go talk to him now... wait, what are you planning to do about the baby?"

"That, my dear, I have no idea."

"Well, we can worry about that later. Good afternoon, Mister Malfoy."

"Good afternoon, Hermione," Lucius nodded to his new daughter-in-law as she left the drawing room.

A/N: I realized I have uploaded the unbeta'd version of the last chapter, not sure how that happened actually, but I'm trying to fix it now. lol. Anyway, here is another chapter! Don't you love me? This is stuff that was mostly written before I went into the hospital the first time, so the updates will probably slow again. I just really want to get through the plot building and into the meat of the story! lol. We're almost there, I just have to make it through a few more things... including a rather emotional scene for me, that I almost scrapped due to some family situations, but it is really important to the plot, so I am going to plow through. Thanks again for reading and please, let me know what you think!