Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

A Match Made In Convenience	By : ErisNight Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 47188 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: The entire universe of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no profit from writing these stories. I am only borrowing her inventions for my fiction.

Chapter List
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A/N: Review Replies and a Special Chapter 9 Super Sexy 200 Word Spoiler is up at : http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/49940-a-match-made-in-convenience-review-replies-and-discussion/

I really truly appreciate every single Hit, Rating and Review and will be posting spoilers on occasion to show my appreciation!

Here is Chapter 8: Payback is A...

Enjoy!

Eris

     Monday morning came with a vengeance like no other. Needless to say that both of the Weasleys that Harry and Hermione were dating were beyond pissed at them. Two separate “betrayals” in one day, on behalf of Malfoy? The world must’ve been going to the dogs at that implication because surely they had lost their minds. Harry and Hermione had been sitting at the kitchen table when Pigwidgeon arrived with a package and a short letter that had the embossed “G” on the envelope. The only thing the parchment said was:

You can send this back with your apology

   Harry frowned but gave the small owl a treat before letting him go on his way without a response. He opened the package and pulled out a familiar magazine, it was a copy of Witch Weekly featuring an article on the “true nature” of Harry, Hermione’s and Malfoy’s living situation. “Do we even want to read this?” Harry asked his roommate, she sighed “we might as well know what the new gossip of the week will be.”

   By the end of the three page article, Harry could only groan in frustration. Hermione tossed the magazine on the table “why would Ginny post this rubbish? Even if she’s mad at me for Merlin knows what, why bother tarnishing all of our reputations?” Harry looked to his friend and sighed. “It’s really only damaging yours Mione, it basically says that you pay rent with your body to both of us, something that wouldn’t necessarily make Malfoy or I look bad. I mean you’re beautiful so if anything it only makes us look better.” Hermione brought her forehead down to the table “ugh, I know Harry; I was just trying to ignore that fact. Your girlfriend is a right terror when she wants to be and this is not even my fault!”

   Hermione was pissed that Ginny had made her out to be some sort of strumpet in the eyes of the wizarding community. Didn’t she realize that she was not going to score points with Harry by acting like a child every time they got into an argument? Hermione had to go to work at nine and she didn’t want her co-workers to think poorly of her when she was so new. They didn’t know her well enough to know that it wasn’t true. Hermione decided that she was going to wring Ginny’s pretty little neck the next time she saw her. Laws be damned, she was not about to be targeted by someone who was supposed to be her friend.

   Harry just sat back in his chair, unable to figure out how to console Hermione. Ginny had acted quickly before he could intervene, so there was nothing he could truly do to help. “It’s not all bad” Malfoy said suddenly coming into the kitchen and dropping another magazine on the table and the daily prophet before picking up an apple and leaving again. Hermione lifted her head and reached for the magazine.

It was a copy of the Quibbler and the headline read:

True Friendship No Matter the Distance or Time Apart

   It was a long article that was obviously meant to go against what Ginny had posted. It depicted Harry and Hermione’s strong friendship and included a perfectly friendly yet lovely photo of the two shopping the day before. The article went on for four pages and delved into the past, reminding the reader of every victory Harry and Hermione had together. It outlined how they always worked better together and how they remained each other’s support system in the hard times. Then the article went on to describe the bond Harry had developed with Malfoy and included a photo of the two shaking hands all those years ago with the caption “Four Years Later and Still Friends.” The final line read “With Hermione Granger and Harry Potter backed by the brilliant mind of Draco Malfoy, the wizarding world may be in for some of its brightest days to come”

   It was accurate, perfectly written and absolutely brilliant. By the end of the article Hermione felt so happy that she could cry, it had been written by Luna Lovegood, a girl that she hadn’t thought about once since she had left and come back. Yet here she had mounted a perfect defense for Hermione and had written a story so grand that even the Daily Prophet had published it on the front page. It practically negated Ginny’s efforts to tarnish her reputation. Hermione couldn’t believe it. “I’ve got to find Luna! She’s amazing! Somehow she managed to pretty much write the truth and fix everything, I need to thank her.” Harry nodded, glad that someone had done something to help his friend. “I know where the Quibbler's office is, we can go after work, or tomorrow if it’s too late.” Hermione shook her head “no, I’ll write her a letter and invite her to dinner here later this week.” Harry liked that better “that’s a good idea, that way there won’t be any speculation about us paying her to write that article.” The two friends shared a laughed and continued to look at the rest of the paper.

   Harry heard the creaking of floorboards and looked up as Malfoy came back into the kitchen with a chain dangling from between his fingers. The blonde looked slightly indecisive for a moment but set it down in front of Hermione quickly. Harry arched a brown and sat back in his seat, was that Hermione’s way stone? Harry had mentioned to Malfoy that he should make her one, but he hadn’t expected it to be so fast.

   Hermione’s eyes widened as Malfoy set the jewelry in front of her and then settled against the refrigerator. In front of her was the most beautiful pendent she had ever seen. It was a silver and gold and in the shape of a vertical oval that was encrusted with small diamonds all around with a perfect rose colored stone in the center. It shined in the light and drew her eyes everywhere at once. It was more elegant than anything she had ever seen. She picked it up and held it in her hands in awe, certainly Malfoy hadn’t just given this to her. She looked up to him and he could read the question on her face. “It’s a way stone of sorts for the house, it allows the wearer to lift and place the anti-apparition fields here, as well as cast permanent apparition zones that are person specific. Potter and I each have one” and he showed her a much smaller and less extravagant ring that he was wearing but in the center was still the rose colored stone. She looked to Harry and he pulled a larger stone than hers out of his pocket. “Don’t lose it and don’t break it Granger, it enables the house to recognize your magical pattern. Considering we are constantly out of time here, we need these just in case so that the house can protect us, should the time magic fail.” Hermione watched as he thought on this for a moment and wanted to laugh at the expression that took over his features. It was similar to her own victory face when she was feeling particularly brilliant in the moment. Malfoy shrugged and continued “Not that you have to worry about that, my spell work was impeccable. But either way better safe than sorry.” Hermione felt the familiar stirrings of euphoria settling in. She was completely enamored by his intelligence and confidence. He looked so smug as he reassured them that his magic wouldn’t fail. Hermione found herself contemplating all the things she could learn from him given half the chance but quickly stopped herself. She couldn’t trust him just because he was charming and had given her possibly the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. She needed to get a grip.

   Draco refused to meet Potter’s stare, he knew he had to get out of there before either of them started asking questions. He pushed off the fridge “Potter can show you how to use it” and left the room for the second time that morning without another word.

   Harry looked at the pendent but hid the surprise from his face as Hermione began asking about its use. He helped her place it around her neck and saw that it suited everything about her perfectly. “I’ve never had anything this nice before Harry, are you sure Malfoy meant to give this to me? It’s not for Ginny or anything?” Harry shook his head “no it’s definitely yours, only the inhabitants of Grimmauld place can use a way stone. They are in sync with the houses magic and when you wear it, it allows the house to recognize your magical core. Where normally it would block anyone that tried to lower the apparition field or cast a spell that could be a trap, it will allow you to do so.”

   “But if the power is in the stone, then why is mine in this pendent?” That was the same exact thing Harry had been wondering. He knew that Malfoy had the stones free of any jewelry and could cast the appropriate spells on them. He could have just given her a stone like he had Harry. There must’ve been some reason why Hermione’s was in the pendent, but Harry couldn’t figure it out. Knowing Malfoy’s sense of humor and arrogant ways, he probably actually did believe Hermione would lose it. I mean his exact words were “don’t lose it or break it” Harry thought to himself. Plus Malfoy had placed the stone in something with a chain so that she would be forced to wear it securely around her neck.

   Harry grinned; Malfoy really didn’t know Hermione at all if he thought she was capable of losing such an important magical item. She practically was already in love with it by the look in her eye. But Harry didn’t want to ruin the new friendlier atmosphere between his two roommates and decided to leave out Malfoy’s apparent lack of confidence in his best friend. “I think the spell he uses just chooses an item to embed the stone in. Malfoy most likely has loads of jewelry like that lying around, that was probably just the item the stone adhered to. Since mine was the first one made, I think it just absorbed the spell into the stone, but for the subsequent ones, tied it to an object for stability. Plus I prefer mine this way.” Hermione nodded at his lie and held the pendant in her hand “well its beautiful none the less, I’ll take good care of it.” Harry breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn’t expected her to buy his story without more questions. It must’ve been his lucky day. “Well I’ve got to get ready for work Harry, I’ll see you later tonight” she stood from the table and left in the direction of her room. Harry ran a hand through his hair, but could only laugh at the situation “Malfoy has a lot to learn."

   Disillusioned outside the kitchen in the hall, Draco released a similar sigh of relief at Potter's explanation before quickly making his way back up to his room once Granger went to leave. When he was safely on the inside of the green door, he leaned against the wood and was glad that Potter hadn’t caught on. Truthfully there hadn’t been a need for him to create such an extravagant way stone for Granger, but once he got started on hers, the urge to impress her took over. Her eyes had lit up when she saw it, just as he imagined, and she had put it on without a second thought. He felt proud at her reaction; she had clearly been enamored with the piece. Draco was glad he had decided to keep his grandmothers old pendent. He had simply removed the original emerald and replaced it with the way stone, granted if his parents ever saw it, they would recognize the Malfoy heirloom immediately, but the chances of that happening were so slim that he wasn’t worried. Draco was slightly annoyed that he had fled before he had an adequate chance to see how it looked, but he could imagine how it rested nestle right above her heavy breasts. He had a sudden vision of her completely naked with only the pendant on; his hands were tangled in her hair as he brought his mouth down on her perfect tits. Draco groaned and stepped away from the door. He had to control himself! He took a moment and resolved himself, he would have nothing else to do with her and he would actually avoid her as planned from now on.

   As soon as Hermione arrived at her office, she began her letter to Luna, before 15 minutes had passed, she had it attached to a ministry owl and on its way. She smiled as she watched the bird soar out of sight. Settling into the large comfortable chair behind her desk, she began going through the reports that had been set out for her. The minister and current department head agreed that it would be best for her to read all the reports from the research that had been conducted in the past year in order for Hermione to familiarized herself with the department. Granted for the normal soul it would have been a tedious task but for Hermione, it suited her perfectly. She had already gotten through the majority of the previous year and expected to be caught up by the end of the week.

   Hermione spent the majority of the morning reading through the reports and decided last minute to go out for lunch. Her first thought was to go and invite Ron but she immediately decided against it. He would eventually realize the error of his ways and she didn’t want to cut him any slack until he did. Hermione sighed and pushed the button for the ground floor as she got onto the lift. She understood that Ronald had jealousy issues, she truly did. But it wasn’t right for him to take them out on her at the slightest provocation. They were adults and if they were bound to be committed to each other for this lifetime, then he needed to learn restraint. And develop better communication skills, she added to herself as an afterthought.

   10 minutes later Hermione found herself in the Leaky Cauldron, tapping the appropriate bricks on the wall behind the pub. She stepped into Diagon Alley and began her way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. For that first year after the war it had become her and Harry’s favorite place to have lunch once Florean’s daughter reopened and added a small restaurant in her father’s honor. Hermione was extremely glad to see that it still was there 3 years later. She went in and ordered her old usual and had just settled into a booth with her food when suddenly a woman slid in across from her. The woman was beautiful by conventional standards and had long brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore obviously expensive clothing and had on matching diamond jewelry. Hermione wasn’t concerned with her appearance however and had slipped her hand down to grasp the wand in her pocket.

   The woman only smiled at this and held her hands up in mock surrender “No need to reach for your wand Hermione, you may not recognize me but I’m Astoria Greengrass, I mean you no harm” The name rang a bell but Hermione still wasn’t taking any chances. “Pardon me for being rude, but we’ve never spoken before, why today and so suddenly? Usually people don’t join someone while they are about to have lunch unless they know them.” Astoria smiled at her before brushing her perfectly straight hair behind her shoulders. “I was going to write to you at some point in the near future, but I happened to notice you as you as you passed Madam Malkin’s and decided to just chat today.” Hermione quirked a brow but released her hold on her wand, if the witch was going to harm her, Hermione was sure she would be able to cast something to protect herself in time.

   “Well then how can I help you?” Astoria leaned forward across the table and placed a palm flat against the wood “the rumors aren’t true are they?” Hermione rolled her eyes, for anyone to corner her and ask her about the rumors flying around about her return was ridiculous. Especially out of the blue like this, Astoria must’ve been another reporter looking for the inside…“You aren’t sleeping with Draco, in order to avoid having to pay rent.” Hermione could not believe her ears. Laughter bubbled up in her throat and she was chuckling out loud at the question. After a short while later Hermione was able to control herself but she found her sides hurting and she couldn’t stop herself from grinning at the woman sitting across from her. Astoria frowned and leaned back in her seat but quickly changed her expression “so I take it that is a no then?” Hermione felt herself getting near hysterical again; the fact that Astoria had to ask to clarify was beyond ridiculous. How could she be serious about this “Merlin no, do you truly believe everything you read?” The frown returned momentarily and Astoria got to her feet “well then that’s perfect then, I am to be his fiancé, and I wouldn’t want any unsightly insinuations to mar my engagement.” Hermione didn’t even bother to reply as Astoria left in a huff. She cast a quick spell to check the time, and began eating her lunch. She ultimately decided not to give a second thought to her unexpected visitor. It was clear that the girl was slightly obsessive, Hermione almost felt bad for Malfoy. He’s not gonna have an easy marriage with that one, she thought to herself. But she shrugged, his relationships weren’t her problem. Plus if he got married soon, it would mean that he would be moving out from Grimmauld place which would be great for Harry, if Malfoy was in deed plotting something. “Best news I’ve heard all day” she mumbled to herself absentmindedly. The encounter also reminded Hermione that she needed to figure out what Malfoy was up to and the best way to do that would be to get into his wing at Grimmauld. Considering how much time he spent in his room, she knew he would keep anything private there.

   Hermione had just finished her lunch and began on her return trip to work when she caught a glimpse of a tall blonde male entering Whizz Hard Books. She knew immediately by the shade of blonde that it wasn’t Malfoy and was also immediately horrified by the natural disappointment that bloomed in her chest. Hermione frowned but decided to ignore the feeling, before making her way back to the ministry. She spent the rest of her time in her office going over the reports and making notes here and there.

      She worked quietly and diligently and did her best to keep her thoughts work related. But try as she might, she couldn’t quite quell the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. A thought had sprouted there, planted the very first time she had seen Malfoy again after three years away. She wished she could go back and make herself forget, but even still, Hermione knew the thought was spring right back up the next time she landed eyes on the blonde. It occurred naturally in her, almost like an obvious truth engrained straight into her psyche. No matter how she denied it, no matter how she ignored it; Draco Malfoy appealed to her in a way that no other man, muggle or magical ever had. The more she learned about him the worse it got. He was like the cancer he had cured, spreading, infecting every piece of her until she wanted nothing more than to be consumed by him. The effect of meeting him again had been irrevocable and all encompassing. Granted she was going to do her best to ignore it and Hermione had genuinely found mirth in Astoria’s ridiculous inquiry. But for the space of a moment Hermione closed her eyes and allowed herself to imagine that maybe for one evening, the rumors could have been true.

   By the time she was ready to go home, Hermione felt conflicted. She knew that she would never have, or pursue anything with Malfoy, and yet just his existence was making Ron’s appeal wane. She knew that she would end up with Ron in the end but by the same token Ron would never challenge her. He wouldn’t even support her doing anything other than staying home. She would end up a lesser version of the woman she had worked so hard to be in the past three years. Ron would never be enough, he would never …

   Stop it Hermione! She told herself suddenly breaking away from those thoughts. She hadn’t realized at the time that Astoria’s question would make her reflect this deeply into her own secrets. Malfoy was not some normal bloke she could have a one off with; she didn’t even have sex for crying out loud. There was no point in dwelling on something that would never come to pass. Hermione pressed her palms against the wood of her desk and took a deep breath. “Ok, I’m attracted to him, I’ll admit that. But Malfoy is still not to be trusted. You need to figure out what’s going on with him. Destroy this wall between you and Ronald and live your life.” Following this succinct pep talk, Hermione organized the reports into a neat stack and then left for the night with one thing on her mind; once I am able to prove that Malfoy is up to no good, it will go a long way in ruining his appeal.

   It was late in the evening when Harry finally rose from his desk. He stretched the muscles in his back and neck before locking away the intel he had been looking over and re-hiding the safe. He pushed his chair in and grabbed his wand from where it was setting on the desk. Sighing, Harry ran his fingers through his hair before going to the corner behind the door and pulling down the large plum colored cloak resting on a hook. He slid the smooth material over his clothes and left the office. The Auror Department was lowly lit for the night crew that was on guard. Harry greeted the nightshift and looked approvingly at men that he had under his employ before leaving the wide room and heading down the long hallway to the left. A moment later he entered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and immediately went for the tall golden door in the center. The two Aurors on duty nodded to him before stepping aside to allow him entry, Harry raised the hood low over his face before proceeding.

   The room was a large elegantly simple chamber with a large round table in the center and torches mounted to the walls. Harry descended the steps that were immediately beyond the threshold and made his way to his seat. Many members of the Wizengamot were already present; by his count only two were missing. Harry took his place and did his best to ignore those whispering to each other around him. He was anxious for this particular meeting to be over. “Mr. Potter” a familiar voice called out from beside him. “Lucius” Harry greeted cordially, he had developed a particular kind of alliance with Malfoy senior over the years. They quickly found that they agreed on most of their decisions regarding new laws and it made for pleasant conversation during the rare occasions they ran into each other. Harry turned to the man on his left and bowed his head in his direction “these meetings are ridiculous.” Although their faces were completely concealed, they both knew they would be wearing similar grim expressions. “I agree, but for as long as we are on the council, we can help keep these kinds of laws from passing.”

   Every few months or so, the Wizengamot was required to meet and vote on the new laws to be passed. The laws were usually reasonable, or amendments to older existing laws, but every once in a while something unexpected would arise that would need to be discussed and voted on. Personally Harry hated being a part of the council but as Head Auror he had been forced to participate. Ultimately it was just another obstacle with his dream of living a normal life, but he loved his job. He was the youngest wizard to ever become department head and he had done a pretty good job of changing the entire Auror dynamic. He had men twice his age that were proud to work for him and he had earned their respect time and time again. Harry was everything the ministry needed in a leader and he intended to only become better no matter the cost to his personal comfort.

   The door opened up and in came Shacklebolt with his hood down and the last Wizengamot member. When the minister of magic stopped in front of his chair, the meeting began and silence fell, blanketing the entire room. The 13 council members pulled back their hoods to reveal their faces and Shacklebolt took his seat. “Tonight we are gathered to discuss and vote on the proposed Marriage Law. This is the second time this bill has been initiated in the course of the last four years. It proposes that all eligible Purebloods between the ages of 20 – 30 be forced to marry Halfbloods or Muggleborns of the same age group in an attempt to quell the dissent between all wizarding kind. We will hear an argument in defense of this bill before the council votes.” As if on cue, Elphias Doge rose from his seat, his white hair sticking up resembling that of a dandelion. It had bothered Harry immensely that it had been Elphias to propose such a law. He had been a great friend to Dumbledore and usually was of sound and reasonable opinion. Harry just didn’t understand what had ensnared the old man about the need for something so restricting like a marriage law.

   Elphias brought his hands together and stood as straight as his body would allow “I address the council in its entirety and beseech you to see reason. While the majority cannot understand the justification of the need for a law such as this, I come before you as a wizard who has lived through and seen the many changes of the wizarding world. For over a century, blood status has separated our kind, weakening us, poisoning us, causing us to kill and maim each other in hopes to prove superiority. I cannot prove it but I feel it in the air, war is upon us and if we do not act now, this time we shall be doomed. There will be no light at the end of the tunnel, no savior, no hero. For the enemy will live in our very souls, we will become afraid and reclusive. We will come to trust no one but ourselves; we will lash out at any perceived threats that are presented before us. This will happen because it is in our very nature, we will not know who the enemies are, and we will never know the true hearts of our fellow man. Two wizarding wars have been fought, two times leaving a gash deeper than the wizarding world can hope to repair without action. So we must act now and bring ourselves together as never before. Unite and be one, a man may not think twice about attacking a woman if he feels threatened by the imaginary demon that will lurk in every shadow, egging us on toward our own destruction; but a man would think twice if that woman was his wife. We need love. Love for every and any witch or wizard. We need to set all status aside and live as equals. If not by social stature then by treatment, we need to treat everyone as equals.” Elphias took a deep breath and leaned over the table “I have seen this world change more times than you can imagine, and even in our time of peace there have still been quiet alterations. We are headed for war, and this may be our last chance to set our differences aside. Despite your disbelief of the necessity of this law, some of you feel it upon us, especially those who have seen the stirrings of war first hand. The signs are everywhere, and obvious for anyone who notices. In the name of Merlin, I swear that this is necessary; in the name of Merlin I swear to you that this is right.” And with a none-too-gentle pound on the table, Elphias sat down in his chair, his eyes meeting each and every council member impressing upon them the sincerity behind his words.

   The answering silence seemed to be response enough to what the wizard had proposed and the voting commenced immediately. A golden slip of parchment appeared on the table before Harry and he immediately tapped it with his wand, knowing his vote wholeheartedly. It rose up above Harry’s portion of the table and hovered there seemingly blank. It took the other members slightly longer, but once all 13 slips of parchment where in the air around the table; they rushed toward the center and merged, before floating toward where Shacklebolt sat. The minister took the parchment out of the air and at his touch ink flowed forming lines and then symbols and finally numbers. “Four in favor and nine against, this law has been denied by the council.” Murmuring broke out and the room was suddenly awash with excited energy.

   That’s one more than last time Harry thought to himself as he looked around the table at the expressions of the council members. His eyes landed on Lucius last and Harry was surprised to see that the older wizard looked stricken. His face was pale and he was looking at Doge as if trying to figure out a secret. Elphias, Harry noted looked happy with the results despite having been denied and as the one to propose the law was allowed to be the first to leave. Elphias rose “at the very least, I’ve been able to impress the gravity of the situation on someone else today and that is a victory in itself” he then bowed to the council before leaving the room with his head held high. Following his departure Shacklebolt officially called an end to the meeting. Harry wanted to discuss Lucius' reaction but the elder Malfoy left quickly.

   Harry soon left as well and made it back to the connecting hall between the departments. He breathed a slow sigh of relief once out of the view of the other members and could only be grateful that the law had once again been denied. Although the passion of Elphias’ speech had struck a chord within Harry, he still didn’t see the use in a law that would force people to marry. And with the way Death Eater raids are going, there is no third war coming. I haven’t seen a single sign or any evidence that proves otherwise. Harry told himself as he went back to his office. Pulling off the cloak, Harry hung it back where it had been and locked his office door using the bevy of spells that was routine before going to the fireplace and flooing home for the night.

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A Match Made In Convenience