Previously on Charmer

“Whatever did you let happen to Miss Granger? She quieted only slightly after I nearly knocked her out with several calming spells. Now, Draco, tell me everything which happened today and why that lovely girl is in hysterics!” Draco opened his mouth to quickly supplicate her in her quest for answers, but was glared down by her high society elegant poise.

“Yes Mother.”



After a less than comfortable pause, for Draco at least, words began to issue forth from him, without prompting or needing to be prodded into action. His mother at least knew him well enough not to hurry confessions.

“As you know, Hermione has been in voluntary hiding for the last seven years, and it is I who have been protecting her. At first it was only duty to someone who I highly respected, and then I rationalized it was a duty to someone I highly esteemed, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with her…” Draco trailed off with a happy look on his face as he allowed his mind to slip, something which he rarely ever did, with that day as an exception.

“But why is she in tears?”

“Because I nearly failed her today, Mother!” Draco said in a way which displayed the inner fear which adrenaline had so far covered up, the fear that he might lose his Hermione to Azkaban. At length he continued again, having regained his composure to some extent.

“They found her, and I don’t know how, and were putting her on trial in an effort to execute the last indefatigable evidence of the atrocities which the Order committed during the war…they somehow think that if they cover it up it never happened. They wanted to kill her! They wanted to kill her for having morals under the stresses and demands of war, Mother, they wanted to get rid of her for that,” Draco paused and took a breath before continuing, knowing that his mother was always a more sympathetic listener to those who displayed collectedness.

“And so I assume that her hysterics were merely a result of this incident?” Draco carefully regarded his mother, who was just as much of an actress as he was an actor. Did she mean that as a rhetorical question…best not risk it and answer truthfully.

“I did propose to her…in a roundabout way…right before you came up,” Draco said cautiously as he continued to monitor his mother’s reactions.

Her eyes never fluttered once.

“And so she has accepted, I must gather from this revelation? For it would not bode well with the papers if they thought the two of you were living…without some sort of legal agreement,” Narcissa said in an aloof tone as she motioned for some tea to be brought by the house elves.

“Of course Mother, I know how you and the rest of the Wizarding world feels about…the muggle practice of living together without such binding ties,” Draco carefully sidestepped the social bullet. It was a very strictly kept taboo for unmarried young men and women to live alone together without some sort of “legal agreement,” between them. The “agreement,” being an engagement license with a definite date for which the wedding license must be purchased and fulfilled.

Narcissa was nodding as she poured the newly arrived tea and offered Draco a cup which he politely declined.

“Mother I believe I will visit with Hermione for a few moments. We will go out this afternoon to take care of legalalities at the Ministry,” Draco said as he made as if to go.

“You will not upset her again, Draco, because calming spells are addictive and you wouldn’t want the press to get a hold on that, would you?” Narcissa said sharply just as he reached the door. Draco turned to face her and nodded solemnly before he walked out and made his way quickly up to the guest wing where Hermione was.

“Hermione?” he knocked softly on the door, knowing it was locked from the inside already.

“Hermione? Are you up?” Draco felt that perhaps, just perhaps this would have been the time to say those sweet nothings that people in love so often did, but ultimately decided against it because Hermione probably wasn’t in the mood for such things across a locked door.

“Yes? Oh, come in Draco,” her muffled voice drifted through the solid wooden door. Draco’s lips curled into a smile at her obvious state of inattention.

“It’s locked, Hermione, I sort of can’t,” he replied before stepping a little away from the door so it wouldn’t hit him when it opened.

Hermione smiled in a dopey sort of way as she saw him and let him into the little parlour of the room his mother had whisked her into. Draco forced a warm smile at her slightly…dippy state.

So smoothly reaching for the pepper-up potion he always kept with him in case of long business days at work, he unstoppered it and handed it to Hermione, who gratefully took it and drank the contents.

“My mother brought up an interesting point to me just now,” Draco said as the steam flowing out of Hermione’s ears slowed and finally stopped.

“Oh? What’s that Draco?” she asked as she put together a serving tray of tea. She’s perfect, always making tea, he thought suddenly as he formed his words.

“That while we are engaged we have not purchased an engagement license. Because I do not want you to be harassed by reporters day in and day out, I want you to remain here at the manor, but due to the unshakeable Wizarding values many hold close to their hearts, it cannot be allowed until that documentation is legalized, and so on and so forth.”

“I hate that tradition…but I suppose I don’t want to be charged with lechery or whatever it is now that they accuse you of…” Hermione smiled and set the finished serving tray on the little coffee table and motioned for Draco to sit down while she poured some tea for both of them.

Draco pondered for a moment if he should risk refusing tea…and decided it was not worth the effort. He was British and tea was an enjoyable drink to have.

“Did she say anything else?” Hermione enquired as she delicately held her teacup, seeming fragile just by the apprehension in her eyes. He smiled.

“Nothing of importance, although I did tell her that we would go to the Ministry this afternoon and take care of the official obligations with the Department of Social Morality,” Draco replied, making a joke out of the special Ministry department which dealt with engagement licenses, a department which was oddly completely separate from the one which handled marriage licenses.

“That sounds lovely,” Hermione said dryly as she sipped her tea. Draco nodded grimly in agreement. Here he was he had been thinking that today he could recuperate from the tribulations of the morning, but now he had to go back…Merlin it was enough to turn a man’s hair white.