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Pride & Prejudice & Leprechauns	By : Refictionista Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 4178 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Nothing from the wizarding world of Harry Potter is mine, and I make no profit off of my writing. The fact that this story is on this site obviously implies that I am a fan writing fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
To Hermione’s great surprise, Draco came to her parents’ home in the non-magical part of London before many days had passed after Lord Malfoy’s visit. He proposed their walking out. For a long while, very little was said by either; Hermione was secretly forming a desperate resolution; and perhaps he might have been doing the same.

They walked towards the Leaky Cauldron and procured a table. Now was the moment for her resolution to be executed, and, while her courage was still high, she immediately said:

“Mr. Malfoy, I am a very selfish creature; and, for the sake of giving relief to my own feelings, deeply regret how I cared not how much I may have wounded yours. You showed kindness to my friend. Ever since I have known that, I have been most anxious to acknowledge to you how gratefully I feel it. I know that the couple thanks you as well.”

“If you will thank me,” he replied, “let it be for yourself alone. That the wish of giving happiness to you might add force to the other inducements which led me on, I shall not attempt to deny. But your friend and mine owe me nothing. Much as I respect them, I believe I thought only of you.”

Hermione was too much embarrassed to say a word. After a short pause, her companion added, “You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.”

“My sentiments have undergone such a change as to mirror yours,” she said softly, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of the situation.

A funny and most peculiar thing then happened.

The Honorable Draco Malfoy smiled.

He genuinely smiled.

Hermione supposed that she had never seen any member of the Malfoy family smile before. Despite her change in feeling, the sight was slightly disconcerting. He stood and offered her his arm, and they walked on, without knowing in what direction. There was too much to be thought, and felt, and said, for attention to other objects.

She soon learnt that they were indebted for their present good understanding to the efforts of his father, who did call on Draco in his return through Diagon Alley, and there relate his journey to the Burrow, its motive, and the substance of his conversation with Hermione; dwelling emphatically on every expression of the latter which, in his lordship's apprehension, peculiarly denoted her perverseness and assurance; in the belief that such a relation must assist his endeavours to obtain that promise from his son which she had refused to give. But, unluckily for his lordship, its effect had been exactly contrariwise.

"It taught me to hope," said he, "as I had scarcely ever allowed myself to hope before. I knew enough of your disposition to be certain that, had you been absolutely, irrevocably decided against me, you would have acknowledged it to my father, frankly and openly."

Hermione colored and laughed as she replied, “Yes, you know enough of my frankness to believe me capable of that.”

“I cannot be so easily reconciled to myself. The recollection of what I then said, of my conduct, my manners, my expressions during the whole of it, is now, and has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me. Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me—though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.”

“Oh! Do not repeat what I then said. These recollections will not do at all. I assure you that I have long been most heartily ashamed of it.”

Draco mentioned his letter. “Did it,” said he, “did it soon make you think better of me? Did you, on reading it, give any credit to its contents?”

She explained what its effect on her had been, and how gradually all her former prejudices had been removed.

“Think no more of the letter,” she said afterwards. “The feelings of the person who wrote, and the person who received it, are now so widely different from what they were then, that every unpleasant circumstance attending it ought to be forgotten. You must learn some Gryffindor philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrances give you pleasure.”

“As a Slytherin, painful recollections will intrude which cannot, which ought not, to be repelled. Though I can think of some remembrances that do indeed bring me pleasure.” He smirked; she blushed. Then he continued, much more somberly. “As a child, I was taught many things that were terrible wrongs. Unfortunately as an only son, I was spoilt by my parents, who almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own house; to think meanly of all the Muggle-borns and their kin. Such I was and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Hermione! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pureblooded pretensions.”

“In that short time you went for tea, you had then persuaded yourself that I should?”

“Indeed I had. What will you think of my vanity? I believed you to be wishing, expecting my addresses. I find myself hoping for that now.”

He stopped and held both her hands.

Hermione's spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Draco to account for his having ever fallen in love with her. “How could you begin?” said she. “I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?”

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

“My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners—my behavior to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?”

“For the liveliness of your mind, I did. You are the brightest witch of our age.”

“So I have heard.”

“Will you accept my suit this time?” he asked without the arrogance of his last proposal. His nervousness was given away by the slight grip that increased on her hands. “It comes to you old-fashioned and tarnished, but I think you are just the witch to make it shine. Miss Granger, I would consider it an honor to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

“In that case, Mr. Malfoy,” she replied, “I will say yes.”

Together, the happy couple walked into the Auror offices, Hermione on Draco’s arm. There was a definite spring in their step, as if nothing could stop them.

Draco had just finished telling Hermione all about the banshees, their tears with healing powers, and his thoughts on capturing the leprechaun.

“Tell me, Hermione, did you happen to keep any of the leprechaun’s gold that struck us?”

Hermione blushed prettily.

“Indeed I did,” said she. “For one coin fell into my pocket that day. I only discovered it yesterday.”

Draco smiled triumphantly.

“Then together we’ll have no problem catching the little fiend,” he said, kissing her hand.

That afternoon at Draco’s insistence, Hermione watched from a nearby rooftop as Draco and several other Aurors, Harry included, placed the coin above a magical trap in the central courtyard of Gringotts. For safety’s sake, the wizards had smeared their exposed skin with the banshee tears, giving each of them a pale waxy glow.

They waited until nearly dusk, with no sign of the leprechaun. There was talk of returning to the Ministry; Hermione could see many of the Aurors, particularly those who had despised Draco in the past, dismissing his plan to catch the deranged fae.

“Arcus pluvius,” she whispered. She waved her wand and then hid back in the shadows.

The Aurors were startled by sight of the sudden phenomenon, and as such, were almost unprepared for when the leprechaun appeared.

He popped into existence at the edge of the courtyard. Upon seeing the Aurors, he made a mad dash for the coin.

“Stupefy!” came the cry from at least eight Aurors at once.

The leprechaun froze mid-jump, his hand poised above the coin. The desperation in his eyes to once again possess his gold was palatable.

“I guess it wasn’t such a lucky coin after all,” said Draco, plucking it out from underneath the leprechaun’s grasp.

The Aurors unfroze and then shackled the leprechauns with magical chains as he shrieked and flailed his body about madly. Hermione stepped down to join them.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Neville Longbottom, one of the Aurors. “Leprechauns are mischievous, but this one seems completely off balance.”

“He just might be,” said Hermione. “He will need special treatment if he is mentally ill. Will he be able to receive care for his derangement in Azkaban?”

“If not, then we will make it so,” said Harry.

“Miss Hermione Granger,” said Neville proudly, “always championing the underdog.”

“Even when she was harmed by him herself,” said Draco, looking directly into Hermione’s eyes.

“What is this?” cried Harry. “The leprechaun harmed you? Malfoy, how could you allow such a thing to happen? Hermione was under your care when she partnered with you. Just because I warned you not to mistreat her, did not mean that you could allow another to do so in your place!”

“Patience, Harry,” said Hermione. She looked at Draco. “I was not harmed, so be still. Truly, it was I who harmed him.”

“Never mind that,” said Draco to Hermione, “we have already put that behind us. Fear not, Potter. I would never allow harm to come to Miss Granger.”

Neville and Harry looked at the couple curiously, but asked no questions.

Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Acting Minister of Magic, used every bit of his political weight to publicly ensure that Draco received credit for solving the case. Reporters from the Daily Prophet flocked to Draco, eagerly attempting to get details and quotes of the former Death Eater’s heroic work as an Auror. Draco, in turn, would credit Hermione for all of her research and assistance, complementing the witch on her bright mind and true worth as a partner.

At a ceremony Kingsley organized to honor Hermione and Draco, the pair made use of the presence of their friends and family, as of that of the press, to announce their engagement. Cheers came from all around, until there was one furious shout from the back of the ballroom.

“What?! You’re going to marry that ferret!”

The crowd turned and parted. There, in the entryway under the banner and streamers, was Ronald and Lavender Weasley. The former was red faced and had his fists clenched, the latter looking embarrassed and trying to inch away.

“Oh, Merlin,” muttered Hermione.

Draco only smiled.

“And what is this?” he continued to shout. “You’ve given credit for the case to Malfoy?! This was my case.” He stormed across the crowded room to point a finger at Hermione. “I won’t let you marry him,” he declared with a snarl. “He’s likely only after your reputation as a war heroine to enhance his family’s image.”

“You are in no position to give me orders, Ron,” said Hermione.

“Face it, Weasel, you lost the case and more importantly the witch of every wizard’s dreams. Know this, her character may be greater than my own, but it only enhances my desire to be worthy of her. Take your yellow backed hide elsewhere.”

“How dare you, sir! I believe I must demand satisfaction for this,” Ron said, his voice tight with unrepressed anger and bruised dignity.

Merciful Merlin, thought Draco, is the ginger-headed fool actually suggesting a wizard’s duel?

“Find a seat and calm down, Ron,” said Harry, doing so himself. “Unless you want to embarrass both yourself and your new wife with any amative claim you suppose that you still have regarding Hermione.”

“Soon to be the Honorable Mrs. Malfoy,” said Draco with his trademark smirk as he folded his hands casually behind his back.

“You’re not helping, Malfoy,” said Harry.

Lavender chose this moment to grab her husband’s arm, make quick apologies for his behavior, and hurriedly made him take their leave.

“This probably won’t be the only incident of someone making disparaging remarks about your upcoming nuptials,” said Harry sagely.

“Together, I believe we can handle anything,” said Draco, taking Hermione’s hand and kissing her fingertips. She smiled at her fiancé and nodded in affirmation.

How right he was.

For example, Lord Malfoy was extremely indignant on the marriage of his son; and as he gave way to all the genuine frankness of his character in his reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, he sent Draco language so very abusive, especially of Hermione, that for some time all intercourse was at an end. But at length, by Lady Malfoy’s persuasion, Draco was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation; and, after a little further resistance on the part of his father, his resentment gave way, either to his affection for Draco, or his curiosity to see how his son’s Muggle-born wife conducted herself; and he condescended to wait on them at Malfoy’s flat, in spite of that pollution which its walls had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her father and mother from the non-magical side of the city.

With the Zabinis, they were always on the most intimate terms. Draco, as well as Hermione, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by finding each other, had been the means of uniting them.

- fin -
- 15
- 16
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Pride & Prejudice & Leprechauns