It’s a Gift

Implied sexual scenarios and adult language. Dedicated to A Bee’s Buzz, fellow sufferer of MGS; she’ll know why. Originally posted to the Live Journal community Dramionedrabbles, 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Prompt: gift.

Hermione’s bra magically unhooked for the fourth time in five minutes.

“Stop it, Malfoy,” she growled “Some of us need to go to work.”

Draco lolled back against the headboard and peered at his girlfriend through sleep mussed hair. "At least have coffee with me before you leave.”

“Oh no. I think not, Mr. Malfoy. I am wise to your wily ways.” Her voice dropped an octave in a fair imitation of his sexy just awake drawl. “Whatever shall we do while the coffee is brewing, Granger? Such a shame both of us are complete crap at kitchen charms.” She huffed, “I was an hour late last time and I didn’t even get a cup of coffee.”

He leered at her. "Did you really need one?”

She stopped fastening her skirt and looked at him, heat in her eyes. “No,” she murmured, softened. Her bra popped open again. Jolted out of her reverie, Hermione gave a little scream of frustration. He adored her screams.

“Malfoy! Do you have to be quite so distracting?”

“It’s a gift,” he rumbled, chuckling.

A few days later, Draco stood outside Scribbulus Everchanging Inks in Diagon Alley. He was uncommonly nervous and irritated. Merlin on a stick, he thought, how long did it take to pick out a quill? If she didn’t hurry, they’d miss their reservation, and as it was New Year’s Eve, every restaurant in London was fully booked. What was it about writing instruments that put his normally decisive girlfriend in a dither? He sighed, feeling increasingly put out. Tonight was important. They would talk, and she would listen. He would make her understand or bind her to his bed until she agreed. His eyes glazed over. Perhaps he would use his Slytherin ties...

“Oi!” The unpleasant voice of his least favorite person intruded rudely on Draco’s fantasy.

“Oi!” said the Weasel. “What’s this I hear about you and Hermione getting serious?”

“Why do you care, Weasel?” Draco spat, his calm facade disapparating quickly. “You’ve been keeping Lavender Brown’s bed warm for several months now. You ought to be a man or cut bait.”

Ron turned puce and gripped his wand. “At least our families haven’t tried to kill each other,” he spat in return, “Lovely Boxing Day brunch, was it?” His tone mimicked Hermione’s perfectly. “Mind passing the kippers, Lucius? Please do tell us what you’ve been up to since dear Bella crucioed me in your front parlour. I suppose the Dark Lord’s demise has rather left your days free?” Ron reverted back to his own voice. “Oh. Wait. Now I remember. Ginny mentioned your parents weren’t invited.” He shuddered but his glare was as sharp as his wits. “I imagine Hermione must be thrilled at the prospect of calling them Mum and Da. How are you going to curb the damn paterfamilias from his Muggle hunting tendencies?”

Bugger him with Wormtail’s silver hand, when had the Weasel become so perceptive? Draco was shocked into complete and total honesty. “It’s been taken care of, you git.” He bit out. “They both performed a Family Name Vow, Weasel.” Ron paled at this revelation. Ginny was right. Draco was very serious. ‘The war changed us all,” he continued, “and my parents have been made indisputably aware that I am irretrievably in love with a Muggleborn. Either they accept her and her family wholeheartedly with graceful kindness, or it will be as if I never existed to them. Hermione will be my wife, if she’ll have me. She is the best person I know, and I thank Merlin I am loved by her. I plan to propose to her tonight, you wanker. Between her and my family, I will always choose Hermione. She is my family.”

Ron’s response was cut off by a sharp gasp.

“Well, it seems someone has been rather busy.” Hermione stated, her face inscrutable. “Tell me, Malfoy, did your scheme involve informing your Muggleborn girlfriend of that wizarding Vow?” She held up a hand to forestall an explanation that would not come. Draco was struck dumb, finally. She gestured to the curious crowd of shoppers surrounding them. “An ad in the Quibbler, perhaps?” Her eyes filled with tears of embarrassment, and her lower lip wobbled. “Happy New Year, Ronald Bilius Weasley.” Saying that, she popped out of sight.

Draco rounded on his nemesis. “If there weren’t witnesses and I could spare the energy or time,” he ground out. “I would turn you into a teaspoon!” The crowd whistled and hooted appreciatively.

“Oh yeah, Ferret?” returned Ron, “I’d like to see you…” The rest of his sally trailed off. Draco had already apparated. The blond prat.

Draco Malfoy was overwrought. Her flat was blocked; he couldn’t Apparate or Floo in and she wasn’t answering her door. He had tried Zabini, Goyle, Potter and the Weaselette; no one had seen her, and his owl was worn out. She could be at the Burrow; there was an Order gathering there tonight. But one hostile Weasley standoff was all his nerves could take. He ran his hands through his hair and opened the door to his bedroom.

The candle light was dim, but closing his eyes did not erase the vision before him. Hermione was perched on the end of his enormous four poster bed, in nothing but the gloves he had given her.

“Marry me,” she said, her voice silky yet strong.

“I… ” Were those Gryffindor ties adorning each post? He blinked. His eyes glazed slightly. “Merlin, Granger. I can’t think. Do you have to be quite so distracting?”

Her grin was voracious. “It’s a gift.”

-*-*-*-

A/N(ssss):

Ron adores the Cohen Brothers, as do I. “Damn paterfamilias” is from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

These are Hermione's gloves:

Lucky bint. Draco has fantastic taste, no?

Gloves by Bruno (Style: couture)

Pokeystar's mini-essay on the Family Name Vow

The Family Name Vow works very much like an Unbreakable Vow.

The participants invoke their family name, state their promise(s), and a third party performs the binding. The vow only works on members of an immediate family relationship (Parents, Children, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, First Cousins) It's pretty obscure, very problematic and rarely used, even as a last resort.

Instead of dying, if the vow is broken by the promiser, they are oblivated, which removes any memory of the person the promise was made to, while that person retains any inheritance. It's as if they don't exist anymore to the promiser. Additionally, a derivation of a confusion charm is triggered to cover the loss of money, et cetera.

So, if Lucius and Narcissa broke their promise to Draco, they wouldn't know him as their son any longer, wouldn't remember they ever had a son to begin with (missing out on grandchildren, et cetera.), and the confusion charm would keep them from having any sort of relationship with him ever again as well as cover the reduction in their Gringott's coffers and whatever else Draco stood to inherit at that point. Effectively, he would remain their heir, and the elder Malfoys would be dissuaded by the confusion charm from thinking about it. If a miracle occurred and Narcissa had another child, that child would inherit half and the Malfoys wouldn't question it. See, problematic.