Chapter Text
December 2000
Hermione sighed and rolled off Draco, pulling the blanket up to cover herself. She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. "How is it never bad?" She asked.
Draco reached an arm up and put it under his head. "Because we are that good." He answered.
Since that night Hermione had called him over in August, Draco had either slept over at her place, or vice versa, every night, to the point that they had called it quits on paying two separate rents and had moved in together in October. The couple had moved into a townhouse Draco owned in the 7th arrondissem*nt, where they had a view of the Eiffel Tower from their bedroom.
Crookshanks even liked his new home, and while Draco had initially complained about the cat living there, he had quickly taken a shine to Crookshanks and was constantly buying the cat new toys.
Hermione opened her eyes and turned her head to face Draco and smiled contentedly. "I love you," she said sleepily.
Draco smiled at her words. "Marry me." He said in response. Hermione sat up quickly, suddenly wide awake.
"What?"
Draco sat up and took her hand in his. "I said, marry me."
Hermione looked at him, stunned. "Are you being serious right now?"
Draco nodded. "I don't have a ring yet, I wasn't even planning on proposing, but it feels right, and I know that I don't want to be with anyone else. I love you, and I want to wake up for the rest of my life with you by my side. So, Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"
Hermione started tearing up. "Yes." She said in a choked voice. "I will marry you."
Draco pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately.
February 2001
"You don't have to do this you know." Draco said, holding Hermione's hand as she stared at the fireplace. "We can send a letter saying that they need to come to us. I mean, the wedding will be in France anyways."
Hermione shook her head and took in a deep breath. "No. No, your father is under house arrest, and not allowed to leave. And besides, I'm a Gryffindor. I can do this. After all, it’s just a house."
Draco frowned. "A house my aunt tortured you in."
"I can do this Draco," she said.
He grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pot on the mantle, and threw it in. The couple stepped in, and he shouted, "Malfoy Manor." The flames swirled around them, and then died down, revealing a dark foyer.
Draco and Hermione stepped out in the foyer, and Draco squeezed Hermione's hand tightly. "This way." He said quietly and started leading her into the manor. "After the war, we closed off the part of the house that he was in." Draco explained. "We tried to get a curse breaker to come in, but none were willing. So, Mother and Father live in the west wing of the house, and don't go near the east. So, you won't have to see anything associated with the war."
Hermione nodded her head, relief evident on her face. Finally, they reached a set of double doors. "You ready?" Draco asked.
"Let's do this." Hermione said softly. Draco leaned down and kissed her, let go of her hand, then opened the doors and led her into a brighter sitting room.
Narcissa stood and greeted her son with a stiff hug and a kiss on the cheek, while Lucius Malfoy stayed seated on the couch, a glass of fire whisky filled to the top in his hand, glaring at his son and his fiancé. "It is wonderful to see you at home again Draco, isn't it Lucius?" Narcissa said.
"I'm happy to see you again Mother." Draco said. He turned back to Hermione and squeezed her hand again. "Mother, Father, I'd like to formally introduce you to Miss Hermione Granger, British Ambassador to the French Ministry, and my fiancé." He said proudly, a sappy smile on his face.
Hermione smiled widely back at him.
"Absolutely not," came a slurred voice. Lucius stood up shakily leaning on his cane with his free hand. "I refuse to allow you to sully the Malfoy name by marrying this mudblood whor*."
Narcissa who had been watching her husband, went to go sit down. "Be quiet Lucius," she ordered sharply.
Lucius ignored her. Using the hand holding the fire whisky, he pointed at Draco and Hermione.
"The Malfoy line is one of the purest there is in the world. As head of this family, I refuse to allow you to sully that line by taking up with her."
Draco glared at his father. "You are no longer head of this family, Father. You passed that on to me when you were worried about going to Azkaban again. Therefore, I don't need your permission to marry this witch." He said pointedly. "I am only doing you the courtesy of allowing you to meet her properly before the wedding. Which you won't be able to come to."
Narcissa grabbed her husband's arm and yanked him down on the couch. "Sit down and stay quiet." She hissed at him. Gesturing at two chairs across from the sofa, she offered them a seat. She leaned forward and picked up a bell and rang it. With a loud crack, a house elf appeared, and she ordered tea. The elf snapped its finger, and a tea service appeared on the table between the two couples. Another loud crack and the elf disappeared.
"Cream and sugar?" Narcissa asked Hermione. The younger woman nodded, keeping her sharp eyes on Lucius. "And how did you two come to meet?" Narcissa asked politely handing Hermione the teacup and saucer.
Hermione pulled her gaze from Lucius. "We met through the Ministry. Draco was my first appointment when I started as the ambassador in France. We became friends, and eventually started dating." Hermione said, smiling at Draco.
Draco reached across the arms of the chairs and clasped her hand. "I'm very lucky that Hermione was willing to forgive me for everything I did." He said gratefully.
"And what of the rumors swirling around her back here in England?" Lucius asked snidely.
Narcissa's grip tightened on her cup.
Draco turned to look at his father. "You mean the filth published by Rita Skeeter, who notoriously hates Hermione? We have already discussed the trash that she published, and Hermione has done nothing that I need to forgive. She is a grown woman, and her past has nothing to do with our future."
"And what do your parents think of the relationship, Miss Granger?" Asked Narcissa, in a polite voice.
Hermione looked down into her cup. "My parents don't know about us. During the war, I removed their memories of me, and of who they were to protect them, and moved them to Australia. According to healers down there, the charms were done too well to be removed without causing permanent damage. So, the Australian government keeps tabs on them and sends me updates on their general welfare, but they don't know that I even exist."
Narcissa frowned. Choosing to move forward, "And the Weasley's? It was my understanding that you were once close with them."
Draco scoffed. "Please, after everything that the two youngest kids did, Hermione has no contact with that family."
"Actually, that isn't entirely true." Hermione admonished him. "My secretary's older sister is married to the oldest Weasley child, Bill, and they, along with Charlie, the second oldest, wrote to say that they didn't believe Ron, and that I could always consider them friends. And Bill and Fleur are very happy for us."
Narcissa nodded. "So will you be wanting to hold the wedding here?" She asked.
Draco shook his head. "Considering how both of us have our lives set up in France, we were planning on getting married there. Plus, there would be much less press coverage, and then we would only have to post a small announcement in the Prophet."
"That is absurd." Lucius muttered. "Malfoy's always get married here at Malfoy Manor. Then they live here."
"I thought I was an unacceptable Malfoy bride?" Hermione asked innocently.
Without missing a beat, "You are, however if he insists on this disgraceful union, then it should at least be done in Malfoy tradition."
Draco growled. "I refuse to get married and live anywhere where You-Know-Who lived. Plus, I don't want you there f*cking things up for us." Turning to his mother, he said more calmly, "Of course, I will want you there Mother."
Narcissa bowed her head. "I would expect nothing less."
May 2001
Draco stood in the center of Château de Mennechat at the newly constructed alter, watching people come and sit on either side of the aisle. Theo leaned in and tapped him on the shoulder. "You nervous?" He asked.
Draco shook his head and smiled. "Not in the slightest."
Suddenly, the candles that were floating above everyone began to dim, and everyone turned. Hermione stood at the end of the aisle, wearing a simple, white strapless wedding gown, with a full skirt, her hair half pulled up, and a veil tucked into the updo. As Hermione began to walk down the aisle, Draco thought his heart might burst. When she reached the end, Draco took her hand in his. "You look gorgeous," he whispered.
Hermione beamed at him. "You don't look so bad yourself," she whispered back. Turning to face the official from the French ministry, they didn't let go of each other's hands. When the time came to say I do, they turned back to each other. The wizard took out his wand, and performed a silent charm, causing golden ropes to come around their entwined hands.
After repeating the traditional vows back to each other, the bonds sunk into their skin. Draco turned and got the ring from Theo and slipped it on Hermione's hand. At her turn, she faced Luna, and Luna placed the ring in her palm, and she slid it on to Draco's finger.
"Je vous déclare maintenant lié à vie!" The ministry official proclaimed. "Vous pouvez maintenant embrasser!"
At the instruction of the official, Hermione and Draco leaned in eagerly, and kissed, still smiling broadly.
July 2003
Hermione stretched out on the pool chair she was lying on. "Merlin, I wish we lived somewhere like this." She said dreamily.
Draco lowered his sunglasses a little and looked over at his wife. For their second anniversary he had taken her to Italy and rented a house for the month overlooking the Mediterranean. While they had gone into town a couple of times, they had primarily stayed at the house, or on the private beach.
"We could find something similar enough." Draco said, pushing his sunglasses back up on his nose. "Merlin knows we can afford it."
Hermione laughed. "If we moved to a house like this, you would never want to leave it," she said. "I've had a hard enough time dragging you out to explore the two times we have gone out."
Draco smirked. "Neither of us needs to work. We could live like pigs for our entire lives, and we wouldn't put a dent in the family fortune."
Hermione glared at him. "I actually like to work, and so do you."
Draco pulled his sunglasses off, sat up and moved over to his wife's lounge chair. Pulling her up to be at face level with him he said, "Why don't we see if we could find a place like this. We've been talking about moving for a while now, and I wouldn't mind finding the place where we could raise our family."
Hermione looked at him skeptically. "I don't know. We both like Paris so much, and it's convenient..."
"If we want to go to Paris, we just apparate or floo there." He pointed out. "For two weeks you have been saying how much you love this place, and how you never want to leave. Let me find you something like it," he said.
Hermione shook her head. "I really don't know Draco."
Draco leaned in and kissed her deeply. Moaning into the kiss, she moved closer to him, placing one hand on his thigh, and running another one along his arm. Draco pulled away from this kiss. "Let" kiss on her lips. "Me" kiss on her cheek. "Spoil" kiss on her jaw. "You" kiss on her neck.
Hermione's head fell back as Draco began sucking on her neck. His hands came up behind her and untied the top of her bikini, and it fell to her waist.
Hermione groaned as he began to kiss his way down to her chest. Leaning back on the lounge chair, Draco moved over kneeling on top of her. He paid attention to her chest, suckling each breast until Hermione wondered if she would explode from just that. Eventually though, he moved off her chest and kissed his way lower. Pulling back, he looked up at his wife, who was looking at him through hooded eyes.
"Draco, please," she murmured.
"Please what darling?" Draco asked darkly.
Hermione shuddered. "Make me come."
Draco moved the bikini top out of the way and yanked her bottoms down. He bent over and inhaled deeply through his nose, and blew out with his mouth, directly on her cl*t. She shuddered. "Oh Merlin, please Draco."
Draco sat up. "Before I let you come, you have to promise me something."
Hermione glared up at him. "Draco Abrax-"
Draco leaned down and kissed her. Swirling his tongue in her mouth, he felt her start to move her own hand lower towards her center. He grabbed both of her hands with his, and she moaned wantonly. Pulling away he said, "Now you have to promise me that you will let me buy you the house you want and let me spoil you. Can you do that?"
Hermione tried to yank her hands out of his grasp. "Draco," she gasped. "Not fair."
He chuckled. "I'm a Slytherin love. I get to play to naughty."
She groaned. "Alright. I promise. Now stop teasing me!"
Draco let go of her hands and slid down her body. He gave her one last wink before he dove into her waiting sex.
He bought their estate by the sea in Cap-d'Ail three months later.
