&h.”
“and how old are you?”
“sixteen.”
fudge’s smile was one of a hild in a andy store. “so you are nal status in—”
“no.”
harry’s voie ut off fudge’s statemehe minister ould o self-assured tone.
“drao is al status.”
“and why is that?” fudge asked, turning a look upon harry that een loathing and satisfation.
“beause harry and i are engaged,” drao’s alm voie ut iension of the room.
the members of the wizeo whisper to eah e stared at drao as if the blond had just dohing very abnormal.
&hen…er—”
“mi be sure that, sihis is a legal ase, they did not pantomime an e i drao be al for this moment alone,” narissa’s voie dripped poison. “nootter has n blood retives, but as stated by te ex-husband in his will, drao has a familial guardian. professor snape, did you give your permission for drao to propose e to harry?”
harry realized why she sounded so smug. she thought that snape would have refused to alloose e to him beause she thought him a loyal death eater.
“i gave drao permission to propose e to a worthy of himself,” sed oldly, staring down the blond woman aross the room.
&hele with o leared her throat for attention. “sine drao malfoy is engaged, by w he is al to hold property, thus there is no reason why he should not i ritten by luius malfoy in his will. all in favor?”
six members of seveheir haely, fudge raising his a moment or so after the others.
chapter 36: marked as his, marked as mine
hermione and ron found harry almost immediately after he and drao stepped onto the shool gr their enthusiasti greeting, drao slipped ihrong of students esaping from their st ss of the day and harry found himself guided to the gryffindor on room.
“so ened harry?” hermione asked.
“drao won.”
“what!” ron sputtered. “how?”
harry started to expin e hermioed him.
“harry, what’s that er?”
harry looked dowhat sat er of his left hand. the gold glihe diamonds sparkled iernoon light.
“um…it’s a ring?” harry aion awkwardly.
ron’s hand shot out and grabbed harry’s, bringi he ould look at it more losely.
“this is an e ring,” ron said at length. when harry didn’t respond, rohis is how malfoy won, isn’t it?”
“yes,” harry said simply.
hermiohing ron arefully, as if u the redhead’s reatio she rised when ron smiled heerfully and leaned bak ih an almost wistful expression.
“gotta give malfoy redit for that idea, although i still would rather he lost. did he me when you’ll be breaking it off?”
“no.”
red. “oh well. ’t do it that soon anyway. you’ll have to keep up appearanes for a while. guess this is where we ht “mione?”
hermioill onfused, lookiween ron’s arefree expression and harry’s sulle ron?”
“with your idea. listen harry, hermiohis idea io keep all the other reporters off your bak.”
hermiohed ron and harry walk down to dinner. harry was almost ign ron’s words, whih at the momehe question of what malfoy had bribed harry with i him to go along eara hermio while harry hadn’t told ron his idea was wro eher.
hermioly as they e hall. she would have to talk to harry soon and find out what was really going on.
drao rised to see that harry left din evening. then agaihih harry ever siten bak to shool from the trial. but the rest of the golden trio had looked the same as they normally did, so harry oulder ahe e yet. not that drao bmed him. after all, his y under four or five o spells at the moment.