Author's Note: I am playing slightly with the cannon timeline to make things work for my story – In cannon Tom Riddle applied for the Defense position in 1966 at Hogwarts but for the story I'm going to have it be in 1960!

Chapter 6

Hermione stood in the entry way of Malfoy Manor waiting for her father. She rolled the title around in her mind, father, how odd to think of him this way. Voldemort was silly, she wasn't his follower so she would not be calling him My Lord and Tom….it just didn't fit. But father, such an odd thing when this time last week she was finding out about him.

"Hello Hermione, Draco." He said with a nod to both of them.

"Hello, My Lord." Draco responded, tilting his head in a respectful acknowledgement. Hermione observed Draco, noticing that he did not shy away from the man in front of them, did not cower, did not seem to be nervous at all like she had observed among his other followers.

"I'll be with my parents in the sitting room when you're done." Draco said to her.

"Thanks."

*Break*

"I'll admit that I was surprised when Lucius said you wanted to meet with me this soon after our last meeting."

"What made you think I wouldn't contact you?"

"Our ideologies do not exactly match, Hermione. I have also been told that you're known for your stubbornness." He said with a slight smirk.

"I've been busy finding things out about my life that no one saw fit to tell me."

"And what questions has that led you to have for me, daughter?"

"Just one, what do you want from me?"

"Many things, Hermione."

"I want to know precise things – what is it you want to gain in your relationship with me?"

"The first thing I would like is to know you, I have had many years with you taken from me and so I find myself simply intrigued as to who you have become in my absence."

"What else?"

"I want us to become family, for you to be apart of the vision I have for our world and to teach you. You are powerful Hermione and you should have had years of practice to harness your powers. These ridiculous magical outbursts are unsafe and the fault of Dumbledore. Had your mother and I had you with us, you would not be staggering like a newborn foal."

"How do you know about those?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Severus, of course."

"But I thought…"

"Thought that he was Dumbledore's pet? He has been loyal to me for many years."

Hermione pondered his statements and wondered throughout her years at Hogwarts how much information had been passed from Professor Snape to Him regarding her.

"Have you kept up with me using Professor Snape?"

"Yes, for years Severus has made sure you were kept safe."

"You want nothing else from me?"

"I do, but they are not as important as wanting to now you."

"I still want to know what they are."

"I would like to gain my old body back, through a spell, should you one day choose to participate in that, I would be able to attain that."

"How? It is somewhat like the spell that Potter was used for during your 4th year, however this is only with a participant of free will."

"Ah, it makes sense now."

"Make no mistake Hermione that it is not something I need from you, it would simply be a preference. This state," He said with a gesture to his body, "is a powerful vessel that I have honed my magic with. You, as my daughter, has been my utmost want for years."

"I'm not sure if I can believe you, but I do appreciate that you are at least being truthful. If that is everything, I'm going to find Draco and go back to school."

"Stay another moment, there is something I need to discuss still."

Hermione lowered herself back into the chair.

"While I do not believe this is the right time to have this discussion, but I have decided I do not want you to be blindsided when new knowledge is published at the end of the week."

"What is it now?" She said with a slight cry to her voice. "I thought everything had been published with the inheritance information."

"There is one small piece I had the writer leave out but many people are digging into your information and given your age it will be of great interest soon. With that I have given the writer a controlled story that he is allowed to publish in the Prophet on Friday.

"Will the backlash be that bad?"

"I believe there will be some from your housemates. I also do not want you upset when you could have heard it from me. You must remember Hermione that while you have not grown up in the pure blood community, you have a strong ties to it."

"I'm betrothed. That's what this is about?" She said with a sigh. She had thought of this only yesterday. While He was not a pure blood himself, his family was and so was her mothers.

"Yes, you are. Your mother and I were very specific about who we chose and made sure that your magic was compatible before following through with it."

"To who? It must be within the sacred 28 and I would assume a family from your follo…" she trailed of and started to shake her head. "Of course. I would not have noticed it before because I knew nothing of betrothal bonds but now…it all makes sense."

"What makes sense, Hermione?" He asked leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"The slight pull I've always had for Draco. I always assumed it was simply the competitiveness in me; he's the only other person in my year to rival my grades. We've gone back and forth in every class on who has the highest marks. I never thought, because I didn't know." She said the last part, an incoherent sentence that summarized how she was processing the realization. "Does he know?" She asked.

"His parents are telling him now; it is why Lucius asked him to accompany you. Are you angry?"

"I want to be but I'm conflicted. I'm angry that I don't have a choice in who I can love, I'm angry because I think it's barbaric that this practice still goes on but I also realize you were only following centuries of tradition. I am curious though, why was my mother not betrothed?"

"She was, I simply stopped it."

"But I didn't think that's how betrothal worked?"

"It depends on the magic used to create the betrothal and also greatly depends on the compatibility between the children. Your mother was betrothed early on, much like you, but that arrangement fell through when the child died at the age of 6. Her parents quickly betrothed her to another child but she was 6 years his senior with little to no magical compatibility."

"That was why she was still unmarried at 24." Hermione said clearing a question up that she had previously wondered.

"Precisely. They were waiting for her fiancé to finish Hogwarts."

"Can my betrothal be broken?"

"I can look into it, if that is what you wish. I will say that to break a bond like the one you and Draco have will likely come at a cost."

"Such as?"

"Any marriage bond you have after will be very weak, there will always be a residual pull towards Draco as long as you are both alive."

"I don't want to be forced to love someone."

"I'm disappointed, you should know that bonds do not work that way. They do not create feelings, only help to strengthen compatibility, that compatibility in your magics is the 'pull' you describe. You can fall in love with another, you can be with others and perhaps, if we are unable to break the bond you and Draco can simply choose to live your lives that way, like many purebloods do that find themselves betrothed without compatibility."

"It's a horrible practice." She said feeling defeated.

"Does the idea of Draco disgust you that much?"

"It has nothing to do with him. I've disliked Draco for his childish behavior for years but it is not him that I have a problem with, it's just the act of betrothing children to one another when you have no idea who they will be."

"The practice was once helpful; pure blood families simply began to use it for the wrong reasons. You have missed so much knowledge your mother and I would have given you, Hermione. I want the opportunity to teach you, to show you the unspoken history of the wizarding world – I just ask that you consider giving me that chance."

"I'll think about. I should be going." She said standing.

"I'll walk you out."

As the walked down the hall in silence, she considered everything He had told her during their conversation. She was so confused, so many conflicting emotions on everything that was happening.

"I hope to see you soon. Perhaps you will consider attending the Malfoy's Winter Solstice ball."

"I'll think on it. Are you ready?" She asked, turning towards Draco.

"Oh, um, well yes, if you are." He stammered out, a slight redness tinging his cheeks.

Hermione snorted at him, "Is the great Draco Malfoy stuttering? It's just a little betrothal bond Malfoy, haven't you been aware of it your entire life?"

"Well, no. I mean, yes but I…damn it, Granger!" He huffed out. "I didn't know it was to you, I was just always told we'd discuss it when the time came. It caught me unaware is all."

"Hmph. Well let's go, I haven't got all night, we have NEWTS we should be studying for." She finished as they both stepped into the fireplace.

"Professor Snape, Hogwarts." Draco said, tossing the floo powder onto the floor.

"She's quite blunt, isn't she?" Lucius said with a chuckle.

"Just like her Mother." Voldemort responded, a smile briefly humanizing his face.

*Break*

"I'm sorry." Draco said when they got back to their shared quarters.

"For what?"

"The betrothal."

"Honestly!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "It's not as though, at only a few months old, you told your parents to do it. You didn't have any more say in the matter than I did."

"I know that; I guess I only mean I'm sorry it's happened to you and that you weren't expecting it."

"I think I was to a point, I realized it when he started talking to me about how 'normal' it was for he and my mother to do it. Then it became quite obvious to me, given my history with you, that you were who I was betrothed to."

"History?"

"That pull you were talking to Zambini about the other day."

"Heard that, did you?" He said, looking oddly like Ron as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment.

"Of course."

"You didn't say anything?"

"There didn't seem to be a point, everything you said was right. I don't have time for anything outside of all of this drama that has become my life." She responded, sliding herself into the couch in their shared common room.

"But, would you be open to it? If this wasn't going on I mean?"

"I honestly don't know Draco, but it seems as if there's a good chance I won't have much of a choice."

"I'd never force you, Hermione." He said, liking the ease that they seemed to be settling into with using their given names. "I don't want a marriage like that. If we aren't happy together, we'll seek love elsewhere."

"A love that will never be complete? I'm not sure that sounds appealing either."

"We'll figure it out. For now, let's figure out how you'd like to handle Friday."

"Can we talk about it tomorrow, I'm exhausted. I'd also like one more day of some normalcy before everything blows up again." She sighed.

"Sure, goodnight Hermione."

"Goodnight Draco."

*Break*

October 8th, 1997

From Hermione Granger to Hermione….Malfoy?

It has become knowledge to this reporter that Hermione Granger, who should now be known as Hermione Riddle to the wizarding world, is betrothed to be married to Draco Malfoy. The children were bound during their first year of life with "one of the strongest bonds" noted on record, according to Mathilda Devon of the Betrothal and Marriage Department, Ministry of Magic. It seems only fitting that the young couple are top of their class, as well as Head Boy and Girl, at Hogwarts this year. Due to the unfortunate accident, which I promise readers I am still investigating, that led to Hermione growing up outside of the wizarding community, Hermione and Draco have only recently learned of their bond. While they were not available for comment, the parents of the young Malfoy were.

"We're just excited to finally be able to tell Draco about his bond, it's not often there is such a wonderful match" Narcissa Malfoy commented.

Her husband, Lucius Malfoy and member of the Wizengamont, commented that Draco has "been enamored with the girl from his first moments of Hogwarts, I'm only sorry we didn't know who she was earlier. They've missed out on so much time with one another".

It is clear the wizarding world can expect many great things to come from this budding couple. I look forward to writing you later this year when they make their debut into wizarding society at the Malfoy's annual winter solstice ball.

Hermione shoved the paper away from her. Nothing terrible, except the bit about their debut at the ball, she hadn't even agreed to go yet. She sighed, knowing this article would only earn her more grief from her housemates. She looked across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table and saw Draco's friends slapping him on the back. She snorted, as if he'd done something great when only a few weeks ago some of them had been calling her mudblood.

"You're disgusting." A third year Gryffindor spat at her as she walked as far away from where Hermione sat to sit for breakfast. Apparently the word had already begun to spread. She stood finished eating her toast and went to leave, wanting to avoid the majority of students gossiping about her.

"Oomph, sorry!" She said as she backed into someone trying to get out of the seat. "Oh, Harry!" She said, her face turning into a smile.

The boy glared back, "Fuck off, Hermione. Ron was right, you are just a death eater whore now."

Hermione gripped her books tightly to her chest and hurried from the Great Hall, a tear slipping down her cheek.