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The Heirloom	By : soldiersgirl0709 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 18477 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. I do not own anything related to Harry Potter or the Harry Potter Universe. All things recognizable belong to JKR and WB. No money is made from the sharing of this fic, only friends and smiles.

Chapter List
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                                                CHAPTER SIX

            It seemed to take an eternity for the small clerk in the Department for Unknown Magical Activity to get back to Hermione and Lucius. In truth it was a mere forty-eight hours, but having been on the receiving end of an un-identified spell they were quite rightly nervous. As they sat in the cramped office in uncomfortable, worn chairs, they did not speak to each other, their nerves stifling their speech.

            Lucius remained cool and collected, at least he appeared so. He sat straight in his chair, his hair immaculately tied back at his nape, his clothing perfect, tailored and elegant. One finely manicured hand rested on his thigh, the other loosely atop the silver serpent that adorned his walking stick/wand. Hermione, on the other hand, was visibly nervous. Her hair was plaited into a messy braid that draped over her shoulder and she was simply dressed in khaki trousers and a white cotton oxford. She was perched on the edge of her seat, her legs bouncing rapidly with anticipation and fear.

            A tiny old man shuffled in, clutching a file to his chest as he made his way around the desk and fell into his chair. Hermione stopped bouncing her leg for a moment, focusing on the clerk blinking rapidly behind ridiculously thick spectacles. He appeared to have more hair growing from his ears and eyebrows than from his head.

“Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger,” he said in a nasally voice, “I am Mr. Erikson.” He laid the file on his rather cluttered desk and opened it up. “Normally it would be a minimum of three months to investigate such a case, but in light of Mr.Malfoy’s persuasiveness….well, I finished up this morning.”   Hermione glanced over at Lucius, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Money can move mountains,” he said unapologetically.

“It appears that this is a simple case of Contract Magic,” Mr. Erikson said, folding his hands atop his desk.

“I’m afraid that I don’t understand,” Lucius said.

“We were fussing at each other, not negotiating a contract,” Hermione added.

“The letter itself was a contract between two magical people. Roman Malfoy made a promise to Juliana Granger that he would wed her. He gave her a betrothal gift to seal that promise. However, as an heir and not the head of the Malfoy family, he needed the approval of the patriarch to enter into the marriage and fulfill the contract as is customary in the Malfoy family,” Mr. Erikson explained.

“That’s archaic,” Hermione said frowning.

“It is part of the Malfoy family customs,” Mr. Erikson shrugged. “From what I gathered the patriarch did not give his approval of the marriage?”

“No, he forbade it,” Lucius said, “He sent Roman to an asylum and the girl committed suicide.”

“I see…” Mr. Erikson tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment. “Well, that is where the complication comes in.”

“Complication?” Hermione had intended the query to sound normal, however the word came out as more of a croak.

“Yes, you see, young Roman and Juliana were unable to close the deal they had made either by marriage or retraction of the promise. Therefore the contract remained open and awaiting fulfillment.”

“What does that mean?” Hermione asked.

“It means that the promise remained open, despite the deaths of the original drafters of the promise. Because it was on paper it was binding.” He looked at Lucius, “Did you acknowledge the contract? Did you at any point acknowledge that there was a betrothal?”

“I did, it is clearly written there in the letter that they were betrothed,” Lucius admitted.

“Well…as the patriarch of the Malfoy family your acknowledgement sealed the contract, it is legally binding,” Mr. Erikson shrugged his shoulders and sat back in the chair.

“I am confused, Juliana and Roman are deceased, the contract cannot be fulfilled.” Lucius said, his brow furrowed.

“A marriage between the Malfoy and Granger families has been arranged and the contract has been acknowledged by the head of the family. A marriage must take place to fulfill the contract,” Erikson said, shaking his head. “Your family, through the ages, has demonstrated a serious lack of trust in business dealings, they created these wards on their magical signatures for protection and I am afraid there was no room left for error. The contract must be fulfilled.”

“Or?” Hermione queried.

“Or you will find a suspension on your magical abilities in thirty days if the terms of the contract are not met.”

“There is no one to fulfill the contract, Mr. Erikson. My son is already wed and my grandson is still in nappies!” Lucius was beginning to lose his calm façade.

“If I recall correctly, you sir, are available,” Erikson said quietly.

“Me? You want me to marry a member of the Granger family?” Lucius asked incredulously.

“There is no one else…just me,” Hermione said softly.

“You are divorced are you not?” Mr. Erikson asked.

“Yes, but…I d-don’t love him…I don’t want to marry him!” she blurted.

“It doesn’t have to be permanent. You could wed and in six months quietly divorce.”

“What about an annulment?” Lucius asked.

“I’m afraid that will not work…to fulfill the contract the marriage must be legal,” Erikson said, his cheeks flushing.

“What do you mean by legal?” Hermione asked.

“He means that the marriage must be consummated.” Lucius’s face was drawn tight, his teeth grinding.

“What…sex?” she asked stupidly.

“I am afraid so…but it only need be once…just to seal the marriage vows…then you can wait the six months and it all goes away, contract fulfilled and the two of you are off the hook,” Erikson said, smiling brightly as if he had just solved the problem of world peace.

“I don’t…I don’t want to be married,” Hermione said softly. Tears stung her eyes but she would not let them fall, she was stronger than that. She was well aware of the sometimes unusual—and oftentimes unfair—occurrences in the magical world. This was just one more in a long list of injustices in a community mired in traditions and laws that were both Victorian and medieval. She had tried in vain for years to change it but had come to realize that for the most part, people were pretty content with the status quo. She was fighting a battle that was lost before it began.

“You wouldn’t be married,” Erikson said sympathetically. “Think of it more as a business arrangement.”

“I don’t usually have to have sex with people I do business with,” Hermione said.

“It hasn’t been my habit to mix my personal and business lives either,” Lucius added tightly. “Is there no other way to nullify the arrangement?”

“Mr. Malfoy, you know better than I how careful the Malfoy family is about contract magic. This goes back generations before you and is powerful magic, there are no loopholes.”

“It’s always something,” Lucius muttered, his hand gripping the silver cane ornament so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. “Is there a moment’s peace to be had in this life?”

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, Sir,” Erikson said.

Lucius turned to look at the witch sitting quietly beside him, her eyes closed as she shook her head. She was fighting her emotions and he respected her for not falling into dramatics at the news. She was strong and Lucius admired strength.

“It appears that we have only one course of action,” he said softly. She turned to look at him, her eyes glittering with tears that never fell. “We will muddle through,” he said gently. He was trying to be reassuring; despite the emotional turmoil that he too was experiencing at the sentence they had been handed. Lucius had been born into one of the oldest and wealthiest wizarding families in the world, he had been raised within the sheltered world of magic, he was used to doing what was expected of him, to following the edicts of others. His life had never been his own. From childhood he was raised to take his father’s place as head of the family, as the patriarch, the decision maker, the man responsible for maintaining and growing the family holdings. He did what was necessary for the betterment of the family, his wants were not a factor.

However, Hermione was from a world where familial relationships were different.   Her family placed no expectations on her other than that she grow into a person that could function in society in a moral and independent manner. Her life was her own. There was no pressure to maintain appearances, to manage the monies and lands. Children were a choice she made because she wanted to, not something she had to in order to carry on the family name. She was free, or she had been, before the rather unusual nuances of wizarding law began to interfere.

Lucius’s unexpected kindness and understanding was unsettling for Hermione. She found herself staring at him as if he were a complete stranger.

“I don’t want to do this,” she said softly.

“Neither do I,” he said. “But, in case you have not figured it out yet, in the wizarding world choice is not something one can assume. Choice is more of a gift…a prize to be won after years of servitude.”

“You’d think I had earned the right to choose,” she muttered. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again the tears were gone. She stiffened her spine and her eyes met Lucius’s. “Fine, can we please do this as quickly as possible? I would like to get it over with and move on with my life.”

“As would I, Hermione, as would I,” he said, extending his hand. “Shall we?”

****thanks everyone! I missed writing and hearing from you all! I finally graduated with my Masters AND got re-married a year ago! So Ive been busy with no time, but now things are calmer so I hope to get back in the swing of things. This is only 14 chapters, and a little light fun...but working on several oneshots and new stories to hopefully fill up the boards!!! THanks for reading!
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The Heirloom