ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 31

She told Morty about the Ball that night, and asked if possibly he could cover the last hour of the evening so she could get home and get ready.

“Absolutely not.” He frowned at her. “You will leave at noon today, young lady.”

She blinked at him. “I’m sorry?”

“The Valentine’s Ball is a huge event! I don’t want you doddering around a bookshop when you should be getting ready!”

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 30

He had bruised her. Marked her.

Hermione stared at the love bite on her neck, her hand pulling her hair back.

Claimed her.

She let her hair fall. She considered not covering it, remembering that he hadn’t covered the marks she had left on him, but it still didn’t make sense to her why he’d left them.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 29

She had signed the Love Contract less than three weeks ago, and she was already letting him lay her down on her desk and ravish her.

She swallowed, rapping her nails on that very desk, and let her gaze blur at her bookshelves across from her. She tapped her quill against a parchment, creating little blots and blobs.

Would he have done it like in the movies? Sweeping her ink pot, her picture frames, her texts all off the desk so they crash to the floor, and then press her down. Maybe they’d laugh about it.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 28

Hermione wished she’d left The Wall up.

She’d finally gotten around to vanishing all the scribbled words just before Christmas, so her room was a blank slate again.

But she really would have appreciated a timeline right about now.

Draco had come into Cornerstone with the werewolf portfolio the first weekend of December, but before that, they hadn’t spoken to each other in nearly two weeks – since the Marcus Flint incident.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 27

Madame Michele was quite taken aback to see her in Pansy's clothes that night. 

She was even more taken aback when Hermione burst out, "I can't handle this handshake thing! I—I just really can't get around it. I'm at work in a professional environment with men who shake hands like men and they aren't trying to shake hands with a lady. I can't do it and I won’t." She huffed. "I'm sorry."

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 26

Hermione spent the rest of the week cleaning out her cubicle at the Ministry, saying goodbye to her coworkers and friends, and taking beatings from her pure-blood teachers.

It had already gotten out that she was joining M.C.G. by Thursday. Skeeter wrote a quick blurb on Draco in the Prophet detailing his current social outings and his relationship status – surprisingly, Katya was not mentioned – and she managed to list the Senior Consultants that had signed on. Hermione recognized a few names, like Cuthbert Mockridge who had retired from the Goblin Liaison Office. She remembered Draco mentioning him.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 25

Hermione ran through her Charms homework in her mind as she walked the corridors. O.W.L.s were approaching and although no one else seemed inclined to study or care about them at all, she knew it was best to start early.

She used her time on Prefect rounds to review. There was so much silence around the castle by this time in the evening – now that Umbridge had begun with her “decrees” – that she would go insane if she didn’t have something else to occupy herself. She’d asked Ron if he wanted to patrol with her, but of course, since his day for rounds was Tuesday, he’d abruptly declined.

“Why would I go twice?” he’d mumbled around pudding at the dinner table.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 24 

Lucius Malfoy was very talented.

Hermione thought this while staring out the window of her bedroom. It had begun to rain.

She had finished her gagging and crying, and had stormed back into her bedroom, lights flickering with magic.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 23

She took a breath. The hard covers of the books dug into her palms, and she opened her eyes, staring at the wooden door to the hospital wing.

She should go back. Sit in the common room and just forget she ever had such a silly idea.

Footsteps from down the hall. She would look so foolish standing outside the infirmary clutching books to her chest. She quickly stepped inside and let the door shut behind her.

ETL Echo presents The Right Thing to Do by Lovesbitcas8

Chapter 22

Hermione had never been more scared to open the paper in the days following the pub night with Marcus Flint. It wasn’t until Monday that she finally stopped looking for pictures of Draco pushing her up against a wall.

She thought of Lucius Malfoy, and Draco’s inheritance, and prayed.