Muggle Marriage Law 51599

Cap

Hermione sighed as she dropped her keys onto the small table next to the front door. It had already been a long week and it was only early Friday morning. She hated having to work her second job at nights. Jon was always good about volunteering to baby-sit.

Things were going to be a bit different after Jon finally finished moving in with Mike. He would be done by next Monday. Lois was camping with Celia’s family and wouldn’t be back until later on that morning.

So it was weird to think that Jon was home, asleep in front of the television. She walked towards the sleeping figure on the couch ready to wake him up and turn off the TV.

She turned the lamp on as she turned the screen off. “Hey, you fell asleep watching TV,” she said as the sleeping figure stirred.

Her face almost fell when she watched the young man run his fingers through his long blonde bangs. He wiped the sleep from his eyes. He blinked up at her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly still surprised to see her ex-husband lying on her couch.

“Watching the booby tube,” he said standing up as he pointed to the television.

“That’s boob tube,” she said in exasperation as Draco closed the distance between them. “You know what I mean, Draco.”

He moved a strand of hair out of her eyes. She took a deep breath. “I came to speak with my wife. Jon said you were working late,” he said touching the collar of her chef coat.

“Go home, Draco,” she said taking a step back. “You have a fiancée to marry on Saturday.”

She turned and headed to her room, removing her chef’s coat as she shut her door. She turned to the door as she dropped the chef coat on the floor. ‘He’s gone,’ she thought.

She turned, “Jesus, Draco,” she said in a harsh whisper. “That’s not fair.”

“Magic, Hermione,” Draco said closing in on her. He kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What are you doing here, Draco,” she asked, taking in deep breaths, as they broke their kiss.

“I came to return your wand,” he said handing her the thin stick she had left in his office. She breathed in.
He pulled her to the bed. They fell on it. Draco turned her on her back. He looked into her eyes.

“Go home, Draco,” she said, brushing a lock of his blonde hair away from his eyes and hooking it behind his ear.

“I love you,” Draco said looking into her face.

“These feelings are just a novelty, Draco. They’ll soon pass,” Hermione said, blinking quickly to quell any flow of tears.

“What are you talking about?” He said touching her face.

She shut her eyes. “You can’t love me, Draco.”

He placed his forehead on hers as he too, shut his eyes. He opened them again, his gaze burning, questioning.

“You can’t love me,” she said again as a tear rolled down her cheek. His face contorted, looking perplexed. Then she added softly, “The day you profess your love for me is the day you would gladly give up magic, remember.”

Draco took in a sharp breath. His words came back to haunt him. He shook his head in denial as he remembered saying that to her that first night together.

He took hold of his wand. He looked at it. Hermione knew what he was about to do.

“No,” she said as she stopped him from breaking his wand. She shook her head a tear rolling down her cheek.

He took another deep breath, as he looked her in the eyes. He asked her softly, “Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll go.”

“I don’t love you,” she said avoiding his gaze.

Draco’s heart fell. He took in a sharp breath. “I don’t believe you,” he said shakily. “Hermione, look into my eyes and tell me you don’t love me and I’ll walk away from you forever.

“Please,” he said as he gently turned her chin so that she would be looking straight into his eyes.

She searched his face. She took a breath. “I love you so much, it hurts.”

Draco kissed her. She kissed him back. He pulled away for a moment. He looked into her eyes. He held up his wand. She nodded. Draco waved his wand. Their clothes ended up on the ground as Draco pulled the covers over them. They exchanged wry smiles before they made love.

* * *

Draco yawned and stretched. He looked around the small room forgetting where he was, as the sunlight streamed in from the small window. He looked at the nightstand next to the small bed. He smiled at the muggle still pictures of the little two year old and her mother.

“Morning,” Hermione said, drying her hair with a towel as she walked into the room from the bathroom.

“Morning to you, too,” Draco said sitting straight up.

“I had to take a shower. I smelled like the grill at work,” she smiled at him as he stood up with a sheet wrapped around his waist.

“I love the way you smell,” he said as they kissed each other. “Hamburgers, strawberries, it doesn’t matter.”

She looked into his eyes. She kissed his cheek, “You’d better get dressed.”

He moved a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry about what I said back in the library about Krank and his staff.”

Hermione averted his eyes for a moment. Then she looked up, “It pays the bills. Even with my parents’ insurance money, I’ve got twelve years left on the mortgage. I set some money aside every month for Lois’s college fund,” she took a deep breath. “The extra money goes to paying for the groceries and utilities.”

“Hermione,” Draco said as he touched her face. “I can help you and Lois . . .”

Hermione put her fingertips on his lips, interrupting him. “I won’t have you stay because you feel responsible, Draco, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you. You have a chance to move on. You and Celeste make sense,” she said softly. “You deserve her.”

“I deserve you,” Draco said, pulling her closer.

She looked up at him again. “Our marriage was an obligatory speed bump, Draco.”

“What do you mean?” he said looking at her.

She looked down. “You needed to get married before you turned twenty-seven in order to be eligible for the Malfoy fortune,” she continued, as he looked puzzled. “Mr. Weasley told me about it.”

Draco breathed in. His eyes widened.

“Several years ago, you were slated to ask Celeste for her hand. Everybody in the Wizarding World knew that,” she smiled slightly. “Then the stupid Muggle Marriage Laws came into play. You got stuck with me.”

“Hermione,” he shook his head.

“Draco, you two were Hogwarts sweethearts. You were destined for each other,” she said touching his cheek. “Second chances like this rarely happen. You should embrace it.”

“What about us? What about our second chance?”

Hermione kissed him again before they heard knocking from outside her door. They exchanged looks. “Get dressed,” she said softly.

“Mom, I’m home,” a little voice said from the other side of the door.

“We’ll be right there, Hon,” Hermione said as she urged Draco to hurry. He smiled at her as he got his pants zipped and his shirt buttoned.

“Mommy, Daddy,” the little girl squealed as the door to the master bedroom opened. The little girl’s lower lip trembled. “I mean . . .”

“It’s okay, Lois. Daddy knows,” Hermione breathed in as Draco knelt down. The young girl gave her father a hug. Draco wanted to hold the child in his arms forever as if to make up for all the hugs he had missed the past two years.

“Mommy, can Daddy stay for breakfast?”

“I don’t know, Kiddo,” Hermione looked at her daughter as Draco stood up. “Daddy has another engagement to get to.”

“I can stay for a little while, Lois. Mommy’s the best cook in the world,” he said as he placed his hand into Hermione’s.

* * *

Breakfast that morning reminded her of those she used to have with her own parents when she was younger. They were a family. She smiled as she took a bite from her pancake. She watched Draco hold Lois on his lap laughing at her camp stories.

Hermione couldn’t keep a tear from rolling down her cheek. She turned to the sink.

“Hey, you three,” they all turned to see Jon walk in.

“Hey,” Hermione said. Jon shook Draco’s hand.

“Uncle Jon, Daddy ate breakfast with us,” the little girl said.

“Oh,” Jon said looking up at Hermione and Draco. “Is there any breakfast left for me?”

Hermione handed him a plate. She looked at Draco. She took in a breath.

“Jon, do you mind watching Lois for a little while. I have to drop Draco off at the travel point.”

“Hermione, I can stay longer,” Draco said.

“I don’t want you to be late for your dinner,” she breathed.

Draco breathed. He shut his eyes.

“Yeah, sure, I can watch Lois,” Jon said.

Hermione had to leave the kitchen. It was as if the walls were closing in on her. Draco knew there was no use in arguing with his former childhood adversary.

He knelt in front of Lois. He kissed her forehead. “Daddy’s got to take care of some things where I live. I love you very much, Lois.”

The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, too, Daddy,” she looked into the same grey eyes she had. “Come back soon.”

It was Draco’s turn to hug the little girl. He nodded.

He looked up at Jon. “Come on Kiddo. Let’s go watch all the cartoons Mom doesn’t let you watch,” Jon said extending his hand to the small child as he nodded at Draco.

Draco went to look for Hermione. He found her outside sitting in the contraption called a car. He joined her.