Duet 2 reetinkerbell and leopion

[ningloreth]

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. All fics posted at this community were written entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Title: If I'm Not Mistaken
Author: reetinkerbell (pinch-hitter)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4 090
Summary: Due to incompetent workers, two marriage licences are accidentally switched. Draco, Hermione and their original intended have to deal with the consequences.
Warnings: None.
Author's Note(s): Thank you shag_me_draco for the beta. Recipient, I used your first prompt, of mistaken identity and mixed-up marriages that were too late to stop, which was a fun prompt to work with. I hope you, especially, enjoy the resulting story.





"This is an absolute outrage!"

Draco shook the papers in his hand at the terrified clerk, who kept looking at Hermione as if she was to save him. But she was as livid as Draco, and with her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth pinched tight, her anger was so apparent that the clerk quaked in his shoes. An irate Draco Malfoy he could almost handle without bursting into tears; an angry Hermione Granger made him want to run and hide.

"I - I don't know what-"

"You don't know anything!" Draco continued his tirade, cutting off whatever the clerk had attempted at stammering in excuse. "We need you to sort out your mistake, today."

"Malfoy," Hermione said suddenly, halting him. Draco looked at her in question. "Let him speak."

If the angry words spewing from the young Malfoy had been bad, being suddenly faced with two very powerful and angry beings, whose entire focus laid on him, as they stared him down in a quietness that seemed ominous, was so bad it was a small miracle the clerk hadn't yet fainted.

"I just started here this morning!" he cried out when the silence had gone on for far too long. He threw up his hands, as if giving up entirely. "I don't know what mistakes have been made, by someone else, because I wasn't here!"

The revelation almost set Draco off on another tirade, and Hermione had to place her hand on his arm to stop him before steam started to come from his ears.

"It is still your job to help us, but all right, we won't blame you." The last was said to Draco, and though he still looked pissed at the clerk in front of them in lieu of the one who'd actually messed up, he nodded in agreement.

"Of course, Miss Granger," the clerk breathed out in relief. "I will do whatever I can, of course. Now, er, what seems to be the problem?"

The papers Draco had been waving in his face were suddenly slammed down on the counter between them. "This is wrong."

The young man looked down, quickly glancing through it; it was a standard marriage license document, and he spent only a brief moment looking it over. "Congratulations."

"No, not congratulations," Hermione said. "It is wrong; a mistake was made. I'm supposed to be marrying Ronald Weasley, not Malfoy."

"And I am supposed to marry Pansy Parkinson, not Hermione Granger!"

The clerk looked down at the papers again, closer this time. "Ahh," he said slowly. "I see the problem."

"So, now you will fix it," Draco told him.

"Um," the man hesitated, suddenly nervous once more. He took a step back, clutching the documents to him. "I will just go get my boss."

He scurried off without another word, looking over his shoulder twice before disappearing into a room further down the hall. Draco and Hermione watched him go, impatient and unhappy with the turn of events.

"I can't believe this," Draco said, when twenty-three minutes had passed and no one had stepped out of the room.

"It is highly inefficient," Hermione agreed, almost absentmindedly. She'd sat down in one of the available but uncomfortable chairs and was reading a book, ignoring Draco as he'd begun pacing behind her.

"It is a binding contract, Granger," he reminded her. He stopped suddenly, running a hand through his hair. "I cannot believe of all the things the Ministry could've messed up on, they get this wrong. Who in our world doesn't know that you're with the Weasel, or think that if you and I were together now, we'd have been able to keep it a secret?"

Hermione frowned, lowering her book. "You know, you're right."

"What?" Draco spun around to face her so quickly his robes swished around him.

"Well," Hermione eyed him over her shoulder. "It is a bit… suspicious, isn't it?" The clerk who messed our applications up must've done so just earlier this week; and today there is someone completely new in his place?"

"Yes, yes!" Draco agreed, coming closer. He sat down in the chair next to her, almost grabbing her arm. "IF the wizard who'd mistakenly switched our applications had gotten fired for his mistake, the mistake would've been rectified without us even becoming aware of it."

Hermione bit her lip, trying to keep her smile from blooming on her face.

"Are you… smiling? Are you laughing at me? At this whole situation?" Draco asked, affronted. He stood, beginning to pace once more.

"No, no," Hermione assured him. "Not at the situation; but at you! Come on, Malfoy, there is no great big conspiracy to get us together. Who would even think to do such a thing, and furthermore; why? It was a mistake, probably by someone who was just as new as," she eyed the small name plaque on the table, "Owen Cauldwell himself; someone who might get fired over it, once it has been fixed. No worries."

"I certainly hope so for your sake Granger; because as I said, it is a binding contract."

"I know," Hermione turned back to her book.

"Which means that if they don't fix this, you and I will have to marry."

There was a slight hesitance, before Hermione replied, "I know."

"As would Pansy and Weasley," he continued.

Hermione's hands shook as she nodded. "I know," she said, her voice much smaller than before.

Draco eyed her. Realising she was probably worried about her beloved Weasel marrying someone else, he let her be; he couldn't understand the attraction to the redheaded freckle, but then he had never been able to figure out how her mind worked, no matter how much he'd tried.

"No, no - you do it!"

Draco and Hermione both looked up at the voice; it was high pitched and sounded scared, and came from behind the door the clerk had escaped through. Suddenly, the door opened and the clerk tumbled out, as if he'd been pushed by someone. The door closed behind him with a bang, rattling the windows, just as Owen the clerk turned around to escape back through the doorway.

Desolate, he turned to face Draco and Hermione, who looked at him expectantly.

"We're closed for the day," he said, before turning tail and running away down the hallway.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other for a brief moment, incredulous expressions on their faces. A bang could be heard from behind the door to Owen's boss' office, and Hermione stood at the noise.

"We will see about that," Draco said as he led Hermione to the door. Without even bothering to knock on the door, on which the name Albert Newton had been written over a badly scraped off name, they entered the room.

"Oh shit," the man behind the desk squeaked out before he hit the floor behind his desk, as if to hide from their view.

Hermione walked around one side and Draco the other, both staring down at the small man as he cowered on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, shocked at his behaviour.

"I- I, I lost my contact lens!" he said, rising up and holding out his finger, as if he'd suddenly found it.

"You're wearing glasses," Draco told him dryly.

"Ah yes, that, er, that explains why I was able to find it so quickly..." the voice tapered off towards the end, growing quieter and quieter as he took in the angry expressions on his guests' faces. "How may I be of assistance?"

"You expect us to believe you don't know why we are here?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Albert swallowed thickly. "I- I am sorry," he said, glancing from left to right, but not truly looking at Draco or Hermione. "The contract- I-"

"Just tell us how to fix it," Draco interrupted in a hard voice.

"But you signed it!" he cried suddenly, picking up the documents Owen had left on his desk. "Look here," he shoved the paper at Draco. "You signed it, both of you, and with your wands and all! How could you not have realised it was the wrong one?"

"Are you new?" Hermione asked, suspicious. "Because you should know that we signed with our wands, not this document, but through a conduit stone. And our magical signatures were transferred to our marriage license by a professional after it had been thoroughly checked, to prevent Polyjuice impersonations, and to prevent people too closely related from marrying." She frowned. "Or, at least it should have been transferred by a professional, but a professional would never have gotten our signatures confused like this."

"Um, I may or may not have just transferred in," Albert admitted, sounding ashamed of that fact.

"Merlin's balls!" Draco exclaimed. "Are we surrounded by people who have no idea what they are doing? Is there no one in this whole Department who's been here for over a week?"

"Ben," he said immediately. "He's been here for two months." At the incredulous look Hermione shot him, he turned red in the face "But we were all trained by our predecessors, except myself as I was..." his voice tapered off again.

"Then which one of the dimwits working here did this?" Draco asked. "I would like a word with the idiot in question."

Albert swallowed. "I believe that it was Laura, our intern-"

"INTERN?!" Hermione cried, finally losing her cool. "You have an intern doing highly classified, not to mention precise and difficult work such as this?"

"It is good for them; teaches them to take responsibility," he defended himself. "And this has never happened before, I assure you!"

"Of course it hasn't happened before, you imbecile; people working here used to know what they were doing!" Hermione began to pace, nervously twisting her rings around her fingers she muttered to herself about the incompetence of the Department and of the Ministry as a whole.

"Well, I don't know what to say."

"An apology would be a good place to start," Draco told him, his voice hard. "I also require the presence of your intern Laura," he said the name with disdain, "for a meeting, right now. You will find a way to break the bond and put this right before the end of tomorrow. And I would advise you to look through any and all licenses she has had a hand in; we cannot be the only ones affected."

"Well, I can try but-" he stopped at the looks Draco and Hermione both shot him, "I will of course find a way."

"Good, now find me this Laura person," Draco demanded.

"Yes, yes, of course." Albert scribbled a quick note, which fluttered off after he'd tapped it with his wand. "Some tea while you wait, maybe?"

"I have to get back to the office," Hermione said, looking at her watch before looking up at Draco. "I trust I can leave you to deal with the intern by yourself?"

"Of course."

"Good." With a nod at Draco, and barely a glance at the other man, Hermione left.

"Tea? I always find that a good cup of strong-"

Draco gave him a hard look.

"All right, maybe not..." Albert mumbled as he turned away from the irate wizard.

- - -

The following evening, Draco and Hermione arrived with their fiancés at the office of Albert Newton. Pansy ignored the Gryffindors, but Hermione and Draco greeted each other civilly, and even Ron nodded a hello.

Albert was waiting for them, looking nervous; not a good sign as far as anyone was concerned. Thankfully he wasted no time in asking them to sit down as he remained standing.

"The marriage license between Ronald Weasley and Pansy Parkinson has been dissolved; I was able to find a loop hole, provided both parties marry someone else within a year," Albert revealed. "I suppose my previous job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was good for something."

Ron and Hermione smiled at each other, as Pansy wrapped her arm around Draco's.

"What of Draco and Granger though?" Pansy asked.

Albert hesitated for a moment. "Yes, well, ahem."

Hermione and Draco both straightened in their seats, his voice alerting them that something was wrong.

"As it turns out, I was unable to break the contract."

"What!?" Ron cried, standing. His face turned red in his anger. "If you could break mine with Parkinson, you should've been able to do the same with Hermione and Malfoy!"

"Their situation is different from yours, you understand; the contract much more binding," Albert said, trying to defend himself.

"How so?" Ron demanded.

"They consummated their bond."

The silence that blanketed the room was deafening.

Until suddenly, a high-pitched screech could be heard. "WHAT?!?" Pansy cried, ripping her arm from Draco's and standing. She and Ron both turned towards their intended, hurt and confusion marring their features.

"No, no, Ron," Hermione stood too. "I didn't cheat on you; he meant before. Long ago. In school."

Ron calmed, if only slightly. "He was the one you told me about?" he asked, disgust in his tone at the thought of Malfoy touching Hermione. But he no longer looked as crushed as he'd done when he thought, for a few seconds, that she had cheated on him.

"Yes." Hermione took his hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was him, I just didn't know how to."

"I understand," Ron said, though he didn't really, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Well, I don't understand," Pansy said, crossing her arms. "What is going on here? Did you shag Granger in school?"

"I wouldn't put it quite like that, but yes, we were together," Draco admitted, sounding annoyed.

"Unfortunately, the bond recognises that union," Albert said, reminding them of why they were there. "So while Miss Parkinson and Mr Weasley no longer have to marry, I'm afraid the contract between Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger is still in effect."

Pansy slapped Draco, before turning and leaving the room. She didn't look back, and Draco didn't watch her go.

"So, wait." Ron frowned, looking puzzled. "I don't have to marry Parkinson, unless I don't marry someone else before a year is up?" Albert nodded. "But Hermione still has to marry Malfoy, whom she's had sex with," the redhead threw the blond man a hard look, "which means that I have to find someone else to marry, or else have to marry Parkinson?"

Albert nodded again. "Yes, that about sums it up."

"So basically you have done nothing."

"Well, I-" he motioned to the papers he held, but Ron shook his head.

"You have done nothing to help us; Hermione and I still can't marry."

"Ah, yeah, no," Albert said, stumbling over himself.

"Ron," Hermione said softly.

"I need to think about this," he replied. He held her hand, kissing her cheek briefly, before letting her go and backing away. "I'll owl you."

He left, throwing one last look at the blond man who had suddenly turned out to be his rival. Hermione sank back down in her chair next to Draco. He'd remained quiet through it all, even now.

Albert looked at the young twosome in front of him. After too many minutes of uncomfortable silence passed, he quietly excused himself from his own office under the pretence of getting tea. Neither of them reacted visibly to his departure, though Draco turned to face Hermione as the door closed.

"You all right?" he asked quietly.

Hermione gave a hollow laugh. "Do you expect me to be?"

He paused, hesitated and shifted in his seat. "We could-"

"How did this even happen?" Hermione asked suddenly. "I just, I don't get it."

"We applied on the same day, had the same deadline. Our signatures were collected on the same day, and as they changed hands they were shuffled around," Draco explained quietly, paraphrasing Laura's explanation to him the previous day. "I truly do believe it was an honest mistake," he continued, softly, "although I certainly hope they change the verification process now, so it doesn't happen again."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Hermione asked sardonically.

"Hermione."

She turned to face Draco, this man who had once been a boy; a boy who had grown up and taken her virginity one night at Hogwarts, before all hell broke loose and she lost him to circumstance and dividing paths.

"I know this may be difficult," he started.

She stopped him by placing her hand over his on the armrest between them. "I love Ron," she said softly, noting how his jaw clenched as she spoke, "but I would be lying if I said that I'd gotten over you completely."

"I haven't gotten over you either," Draco admitted.

Hermione breathed, almost in relief. "So... what does this mean?"

"I suppose it means that we will marry in three months," he said. "And spend those three months getting to know each other again."

Hermione smiled sadly. "I don't know what to do here."

"What do you mean?"

"Ron, I- how am I supposed to let him go?" tears filled Hermione's eyes at the thought.

Draco hesitatingly placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her as close to him as she could get with the armrests in the way. "I hope he will find someone else to love," he said softly.

Hermione nodded against his chest. "I feel so confused about all of this."

"We'll take it one day at a time, all right?" Draco said, pressing his lips against her hair. "We aren't strangers, and we have been friends for the past three years, have we not? So even though we've been apart, I hope we'll find our way back to each other. I hope you'll be open to it, even if you will miss Ron."

"As I'm sure you will miss Pansy; I'm sorry," Hermione said, her face still pushed against his chest.

Draco shifted uncomfortably. "I never loved her; not like I loved you."

Hermione looked up at him, her red and wet from her tears. "What do you mean?"

"She has been a good friend of mine and I have always figured she and I would marry one day, and make a good couple, but I have never been in love with her; the way I was in love with you when we were younger."

"You were in love with me then?"

Draco smiled, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Yes, did you not know?"

"I hoped. I loved you too," she admitted softly.

"Hopefully then," Draco said after a moment of silence, "it will make things easier for us now?"

"We can try." A cloud fell over Hermione's face as she thought of Ron. "But I don't know what to do about Ron. He's my best friend, him and Harry. What if he never falls in love again?"

Draco said nothing, simply continued to caress her cheek, until Hermione pulled away.

"I will try, I promise."

"As will I," Draco vowed. "It will all work out with Weasley; but you can't worry about him now too."

"I feel bad."

"I don't think he would want you to feel guilty or unhappy for the rest of your life," Draco said.

"I'm not sure, if the option is being happy with you," Hermione said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Are you attempting to make light of the situation, Granger?" Draco smirked. "I'm impressed."

"Shut up," Hermione retorted; but her smile widened.

- - -

Eleven Months Later
Draco played with the wedding band on his left hand, bored out of his mind. Around him, excited redheaded people of all shapes and sizes talked, somewhat loudly, while the bride's family looked on with varying degrees of disdain. They even looked at him as if he was dirt, which he found amusing; never would he have expected to be seated on the Weasley family side of the aisle, much less in a wedding where Pansy was the bride.

However, given that Draco's wife was the best friend of the groom, and he was somewhat whipped, in addition to him being the brides ex-fiancé, it had seemed the best option. It seemed everyone had conveniently forgotten that Hermione was the ex-fiancé of the groom; something Draco was quite happy about.

Ginny Weasley sat down in a huff next to Draco, crossing her arms. They may all still be in their early twenties, but the look on her face belonged more to a child than an adult.

"What's got you in a twist?" he asked, not truly caring. They may have gotten closer over the past few months as Hermione helped her with her own upcoming wedding to Potter, but they wouldn't be called friends. But his wife wasn't there to deal with her, and he had promised her that he would try to get along better with her friends.

"I cannot believe the nerve of that Parkinson woman," Ginny grumbled.

Draco nearly rolled his eyes. To say that Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Parkinson had not gotten along would've been the understatement of the century.

They'd butted heads over everything; first over the fact that their children had fallen for each other as they commiserated over the wedding between Draco and Hermione, both believing the other wasn't good enough, and then over all the minute details of the wedding even Pansy wasn't concerned about.

It had gotten to a point where Draco was actually surprised this day would arrive; he'd expected them to elope by now.

He would've, if it'd been him.

"Just be glad she's Ron's family and not yours." Draco shrugged. "Well, not technically. You won't have to see her a lot."

"Except for every occasion that would bring our family and Pansy's together. When they have children, we'd see her all the time!"

Draco smirked. "I wouldn't worry about that," he leaned forward and whispered so no one else would hear. "Mrs. Parkinson is not what you might call, child friendly," he revealed.

Ginny snorted. "I'm not surprised to hear that," she said.

They were silent for a moment before Ginny eyed him. "What about you?"

Draco turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"What's going to happen when your child is born? With the in-laws, I mean."

Draco considered his words carefully. "I think that our child will be spending a fair amount of time at the Burrow with his cousins," he said finally.

It was a touchy subject, and Ginny should've known better to bring it up. While Draco's parents had not outwardly shunned their son or his wife, they had made it quite clear they were not entirely happy about his choice; even when they found out the mistake that'd been made; they found his happiness with Hermione disconcerting and downright wrong. Hermione's parents had accepted her change of heart with much more ease and grace, but with them still living in Australia and having little to no involvement in the Wizarding World, the contact between them was, however heartfelt, quite sporadic.

Hermione arrived then, breathlessly squeezing into the pew past both Ginny and Draco, accidentally bumping into them both with her stomach, to settle on his other side.

"Pansy looks absolutely beautiful," she said, excited for the woman she now considered to be a close friend. "Ron is going to turn bright red, as soon as he sees her."

"I think it'll just be the ears," Ginny said from Draco's other side. "He has seen her naked."

Hermione pondered this for a moment, before she shook her head. "No, the whole face."

"You wanna bet on it?"

Draco sighed, unnoticed by the two women as they decided on the terms.

Not long after, Ron and Harry came out from a side room and took their places in front of the magistrate. A soft melody started to play, and every head turned as the bride came out. She looked truly stunning, her happy smile making her even more beautiful than usual.

Draco looked back at Hermione, smiling as she met his eyes. There was no regret in her gaze, only happiness for their friends. It had taken them all a long time, and a lot of tears and alcohol, to get to this point; but it had been completely worth it.

And as Pansy reached Ron, whose entire face was as red as his hair as he looked at his bride, Draco took Hermione's hand and squeezed it gently.

His heart leapt with joy, as if it was the first time, when she squeezed it back.

The End.

Prompt Used
1. Mistaken identity. Pansy was supposed to marry Draco, and Hermione was supposed to marry Ron. But somehow they got mixed up. Once the mistake was discovered, it was too late to turn back (consummation, magical bond, etc. whichever way you choose). I see this as a humorous fic, but if you can make it serious and believable, then please do so, by all means. Either way, happy endings for both pairs, please.