Summer Solstice Ball

Hosted by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy

Friday, June 20th

At 8:00 p.m.

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire

RSVP by Owl May 31st

When the invitation had arrived at her flat she had read the first few lines before attempting to return the invitation, convinced that it was mistake. The hawk had painfully nipped at her fingers before flying off, but that didn't stop her from chucking the invite in the bin. She mentioned the incident to Harry the following day she discovered that he too, had received the same invitation. In fact, it seemed that the Malfoy's were extending invitations to their annual Summer Solstice party far outside their normal circles.

The Malfoys had switched sides midway through the war, of course they weren't trusted, but they still provided invaluable information that minimized losses for the Order. So when the war was over and You-Know-Who was finally dead and gone for good, the Malfoy's managed to avoid Azkaban and those pesky reparation payments so many other prominent families had to suffer. There were many whisperings about the Malfoy family after the war, many said that the Malfoys played both sides to ensure that they would end up on top no matter what. A few said that Voldemort had done something to cause the Malfoy's to turn, either way it was clear that the only reason the Malfoys had only helped the Order to serve their own interests.

The Malfoy's stayed painfully quite about their activities during the war, and their beliefs about blood status after things had settled down. The only kind of damage control they did after was an article that appeared in the Daily Prophet about the 'Hidden Heroes of the Second War; Draco Malfoy and Others' (conveniently after Narcissa Malfoy had a rather long luncheon with Rita Skeeter). They had never bothered to expand their social circle past what it was before the war – that was until now.

The people that had received invitations weren't urchins, the Malfoys hadn't lost their minds after all, they were war heroes, people with prominent positions and those with new and old money. Their previous parties had shorter guest lists, but they were lavish and extraordinary events. Attending the Malfoy Solstice was defiantly something to brag about, but absolutely the last thing that Hermione wanted to do.

Hermione took one last look at herself in the mirror, brushing off any imaginary lint. She was dressed in a simple floor length crimson gown with a Queen Anne neckline. Her outfit was rather daring by wizarding standards (it was a great deal tighter than the standard witch's robes), but it was the most fashionable thing that she owned. She paired her dress with a simple round gold locket that she had inherited from grandmother and let her curls fall loosely around her shoulders.

"Ugh I hate my life." She ignored the invitation, and even when Harry said that he was going to go she was still adamantly opposed. it wasn't until her boss McBee had cornered her and had heavily implied that she'd be fired unless she attended the Malfoy's Ball that she had sent her RVSP. She didn't know why he was so insistent, but the Malfoys did hold a great amount of pull in Ministry. Maybe McBee thought that sending the war hero would earn their department some brownie points.

Hermione brought out her wand and turned it on the spot and she felt the tug of apparition take over. Time and space pressed hard from all directions and stole her breath away and in an instant she was transported. She stood outside the gates of Malfoy manor, the wards not letting her apparate any closer.

Hermione let out a groan, wishing she had worn ballet flats or wedges as she started her half a mile trek to the doors of the manor. The manor exulted fun and excess, magical fairly lights twinkling, music blaring and the subtle roar of party goers having the time of their lives filled the air. She was late, she didn't mean to be, but she had gotten caught up with some light reading for work and before she knew it she was over and hour late.

Once she passed the threshold, she sought out waiter and snagged a glass of champagne. It wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be, but she was looking forward to make up the strength of the drink with the quantity that she was planning on drinking that night. She wandered around the party and networked, ensuring that her presence was known, she didn't want all off her hard work in defense of the endangered magical creatures to go to waste just because she was a late to a party.

"'Mione whata you doing here?"

Hermione had to resist the urge to swallow the rest of her champagne in one gulp.

"Ronald." She stiffly stated, nodding briefly at his flavor of the week. "I was invited Ron, why are you here?"

Swallowing the appetizer Ron stepped closer. "As the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons I have to do PR stuff like this for the team, ya know or else I wouldn't be caught dead here. Can't believe the Malfoy's had the nerve to pull this kind of shite. You know you don't look half bad tonight, I'm glad that you took my advice and decided to clean yourself up a bit."

Hermione kept her eyes on the bubbles in her glass and debated on whether or not to throw the drink in his face. The man that stood in front of her was vastly different from the sweet boy that she had grown up with. After the war ended they had tried to make their relationship work. They were both raw from the losses they'd suffered, but they had different ways of coping. She needed time after the war: time to find her parents, time to rebuild the past (both figuratively and literally, with Hogwarts laying in shambles), time to figure out what she wanted from life.

Ron wanted sex.

Something that she was not ready to give away, but Ron quickly found someone else to deal with his needs. And then someone to take that one's place, and then someone else and so on and so forth. He relished in the attention, almost excited when him and his latest conquest had their faces plastered on the Daily Prophet.

She was heartbroken at first. Scared that there was something wrong with her. Why did his touch make her feel so nauseous? But, then the heartbreak quickly turned into anger. Why would she want to spend her time, let alone her life with someone so disgusting? She deserved better.

"Hermione!" A friendlier voice interrupted. Harry walked up to them, abruptly leaving the conversation that he was having with a few coworkers with a quick apology to end the fight that was brewing between his two best mates. "Thought that I saw you here."

"Hello, Harry." Hermione murmured ghosting his cheeks with a kiss and sending him a small warm smile.

"You look amazing."

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." Hermione said with a wink.

"Hey I'm here too mate."

"I can tell Ron, my vision's bad but I haven't gone blind yet." Harry ribbed. "You and I've already talked. Hermione want to dance? We can catch up."

Hermione nodded, ready to get away from Ron and his bed warmer and let her temper cool a little.

"See you in a little bit Ron and –"

"Ruth" The girl supplied.

"Yes of course, Ruth, we'll all grab a drink together later." Harry said over his shoulder as he guided her towards the dancefloor.

Harry put his arms around her waist and lead her with the other one, they waltz together in silence for a while just enjoying the music. It was a weird little tradition that they had. When one of them had a bad day and they had time to see each other that day they would get together and dance until they were laughing like children again. She would make them dinner and they'd watch a movie or they would venture out to muggle London with Teddy.

"He's an idiot isn't he?"

"Of epic proportions." Hermione answered dryly. "I don't know why he thinks I've forgiven him. Just because I don't curse him on sight anymore doesn't mean my feelings have changed."

"I think that he thinks by pretending nothing happened it will all just go away. You'll be friends again."

Hermione didn't answer back, she laid her head on Harry's shoulder and let him lead for the next two dances. They were interrupted by Aaron Taylor, who asked Hermione for a dance. He wasn't a bad looking broke and seemed kind, so Harry excused himself while they went for a spin around the dancefloor. They were having fairly decent time. Hermione found Aaron rather easy to talk to, and his work for The Ministry sounded interesting.

"He's still looking at us."

"I'm sorry." Hermione said. Aaron gestured behind her and she turned to lock eyes with Ron and suddenly all of her good cheer left her. He was drinking Firewhisky staring at her, while Ruth chatted in his ear.

"You… you guys aren't really getting back together, are you?"

"Of course not." Hermione replied. "Why would you think that?"

"Sorry, it's just, the rumors. I wanted to make sure that they weren't true."

"What rumors?"

"Ahh, well. Some people say that you're waiting for him to come back to you. I mean you guys were together forever and it would be understandable if – "

"I would never go back to him. He cheated on me, repeatedly." Hermione interrupted. "And we weren't together that long, we only dated after the war. We were friends before that and rather busy fighting a mad man."

"I just meant – "

"I think I need some air." Hermione said.

"Right, I'll see you later then?"

"Sure" Hermione whispered before leaving the dance floor. She navigated though the crowd, searching for a balcony, but when she found one it was overrun with snogging couples and introverted souls trying to find some peace among the noisy crowds.

"Oh bugger." Hermione turned away, wandering away from the crowds and the noise and deeper into Malfoy Manor.

Mother had insisted that he see her in person before they made any formal declarations to the Ministry. But, he didn't need to see her again to know that she was his mate. Back in their school days there had been so many clues and hints as to who she would be to him and like a coward he had ignored them. He couldn't hide his fascination with the bushy haired beaver when he was in school, his eyes seemed to find her no matter how hard he tried to

It was when he was seventeen and the Dark Lord and his followers had infested the manor was when he learned the truth about his family. His father had failed a mission and was being punished for it, thankfully it was only one round of the cruciatus, but it was enough to leave Lucius on his knees. He-who-must-not-be-named made one of his speeches about how he hoped that this would motivate everyone to do their best with their missions, that during the crucial period no one would be allowed leniency and he had ordered Lucius up. Lucius had tried to stand, but his breath hadn't returned to him and he fell on one knee. Voldemort brushed past Lucius and to the west wing where he had taken residence while making a flippant comment about how he thought that the stain in their blood would at least give them some stronger magical abilities. Why should he keep tolerating the Malfoy family when they had nothing contribute to his cause?

Draco had been standing next his mother when it had happened, she clutched his hand and kept him grounded in the reality of the situation. He had wanted to curse the man for what he had done to his father, but he knew that that was akin to committing suicide. He helped his father to his feet and kept and arm around as their family made their way to the master suite where his father could rest and recover. His father had sat on the foot of his bed and signaled for his mother to come sit beside him. He wrapped his arms around Narcissa's shoulders and pulled her in close, burying his nose in her hair.

"Leave us." Lucius commanded.

Draco did turn towards the door, but only so that he would shut it. The silencing charm automatically activated, shielding their conversation from anyone who could accident hear it from the outside. Then he let all of his rage out. What were they doing? Letting this mad man into this home, allowing him to use their resources while treating them nothing like pawns.

"He's said that if I didn't offer up our home he'd pick separate us. Send your mother away to the Chateau in France with her deranged sister." Lucius snarled.

"So? That'd be better than letting them stay here. Mother shouldn't be involved in these things anyways!"

"You don't know what you're talking about Draco!"

"Then tell me what's going on! Tell me why you're letting him run our manor, treating us like servants!"

"You insolent child! You-"

"Tell him." Narcissa said softly.

"Cissa." Lucius grasped one of her dainty hands in his.

"He deserves to know Lucius. It's going to affect him eventually."

Their conversation was simple and brief. His mother started off the story and his father filled in the details. They explain how his ancestor (his great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather) had become a veela's mate. Since Malfoy brides could only carry male heirs she had given birth to one of the world's only male veela's, with great difficulty. Male veela were quite rare, mostly due to the stain they put on the mother's body during pregnancy. Upon birth of a viable male, the child is often indistinguishable from other children. They often have the same fair characteristics as their female counterparts and can have a certain persuasive powers as children, but their true nature often doesn't manifest until they turn 21. Male veela are able to recognize their mates from birth, but the need to find them doesn't become a compulsion until they come to age. Once of age, a transformation occurs, their third eye will open and they will have continuous visions of their mate until they have tracked her down and claimed her.

Malfoy Veelas were a great deal stronger than the typical male Veela. Due to their unique history. Mates were chosen on strength of magic and character, and had a much easier time carrying Veela children due to their physical structure and healthy eating habits. Since the Y gene carried the Veela gene, all Malfoy children were born as Veela. (Female Veelas, while very beautiful, had a narrow build and naturally ate very little. Male children, especially male Veelas, grew quickly and syphoned a lot of magical energy from their mothers. Energy most Veelas were not able to provide, resulting in many miscarriages and still births. The children who were born were born with great difficulty and the damage that they left on the uterus left the female Veela unable to carry more children. Making male Veela very rare and well protected by magical enforcement agencies around the globe.)

"Great, I'm a bloody bird."

"We have power you know nothing about!"

"If we're so powerful why are you cowering in front of that half-blood?"

"Because he knows about our heritage Draco and he'll use it against us! He's separated your mother and I before and while it wasn't pleasant we were able to get by with the use of suppressant potions. It's the only way I've been able to tolerate all these away missions. But, take those away, separate us and it'll be a week before I go mad from longing and a fortnight before I'm dead. Then your mother dies from heartbreak." Lucius said gripping Narcissa's hand as if some invisible force was going to steal her away right then and there. "Or he'll torture her and make me watch. Either way, we're dead."

"I'm sorry for all of this Draco. We haven't done a very good job of protecting you as your parents. If there was another way – " Narcissa's voice broke, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I pray to the Old Gods and the New that one day you'll get to experience what we have. It may seem like a curse to you now, but it is the best blessing in our world."

Draco stayed silent; he never liked seeing women cry.

"We have some journals that explain it all in more detail. I'll have the one of the house elves sneak it into your room later." She said in a whisper.

Draco nodded his acceptance and left his parent's room in a daze, he had so many questions still, but he didn't want to stay too much longer. If they stayed cooped up too long the Dark lord may suspect that they were plotting against him.

He'd gone flying afterwards, going around and around in circles until his fingers were numb from the cold and his contained only one thought. He didn't need to wait for the vision to know who his mate was. He wondered what she was doing and if she was safe. What would happen to him if she died, if she was captured. That night wasn't the first night that he dreamt of her, but it was the sweetest by far. Usually in his dreams she's be on her knees or tied to the bed, but this time she was tucked away in his little reading nook in the library. She smiled at him when he came close, moving closer to the window to make room for him. She playfully swatted his hands away when it became apparent that reading was the last thing on his mind, laughing as he captured her lips in a kiss.

That dream was still Draco's favorite.

In the morning, he told his parents what he suspected and they found a way to contact the Order of Phoenix. While his parents were willing to sacrifice their wealth and pride for safety, they weren't willing to sacrifice their son. Light had won over darkness and it was finally time for him to claim his mate.

Draco had been at the door at 7:30 to welcome in the guests, too anxious to wait anywhere else. His parent had joined him 5 minutes till. He had shaken hands and kissed cheeks, smiling till his cheeks hurt, but she didn't come.

"You promised that she'd be here." He whispered angrily into his mother's ear when half an hour passed.

"She will be. Just give it time."

"I've waited years! If you and father had accepted my suspicions it sooner I'd be done courting her by now! "

Narcissa dragged Draco away from the entrance to an area where they could have more privacy. "We changed sides because of what you claimed!"

"Then why did you make me wait for so long!"

"You were still a child! You hadn't turned yet, we had to be sure. Veela mates are meant to be the strongest so that they can bear healthy heirs and she's a – "

"What does it matter that she's a muggleborn? She's the brightest witch in ages, she's a war heroin, and I've seen her do wandless magic!"

"I know Draco, I know." Narcissa said exasperated. "Why do you think that I've arranged all of this? She'll see that you've, that we've changed. She'll accept you more readily and then you can use your magic to do the rest."

"The book said the pheromones won't work on her until after we're bonded."

"No, but her magic will recognize yours. She'll start to have dreams and it'll make her more amendable to your advances. Make sure that she spends as much time with you as possible and in a month or two you'll be married and then she'll be yours forever."

"I don't know if I can wait that long."

"Women like a patient man Draco."

He groaned.

"Why don't you go and busy yourself elsewhere? Find a friend or something. You'll know when she's arrived anyways." Narcissa turned Draco around and pushed him towards the ballroom.

"Why –"

"You don't want to look too eager."

"Mother – "

"Go now."

Draco left the foyer, this would be the best time to charm and increase his network but his mind was too preoccupied to have a focused conversation. He was talking to Blaise about stocks when he caught her sent – vanilla, leather bound books and something spicy that made his mouth water.

He excused himself immediately, tracking her down with his nose he found her socializing with a few ministry officials. He wanted to grab her right then and whisk them away, possibly to that little cottage that he'd bought on a whim in Ireland. The tight little dress that she was wearing left too little to the imagination in Draco's eyes. She was his. Those curves belonged to him, her heart belonged to him, and her smile was his and his only!

A growl escaped Draco's lips and a few guest stepped away nervously. Draco reminded himself that this wasn't the right time. If he acted too aggressively it would put her on the defensive and there were too many people that would keep them apart, the fools.

He watched as Weasley the Witless Wonder approached his mate. If he didn't know for a fact that they had broken up and that Hermione didn't want anything to do with the Weasel he would have cursed the bastard for thinking such disgusting thoughts about his mate. He couldn't believe that he actually thought the he still had a chance with her. Even if they weren't fated, Granger would never trust him again.

Potter was the next once to approach his mate and then that Taylor chap. Draco felt physically sick when they laid their hands on her. He took a sip of his drink and glared at her delectable behind. He had pined after her for years and she barely even noticed that he was alive, even in the same room she wouldn't even look towards him.

He dogged every step that she took, thankful when she decided to break away from the crowd. He touched the walls as they moved deeper into the manor, ensuring that the manor knew his will. The house opened up new hallways and doors, leading her far away from crowd and ensured that no one would follow after them.

This hallway ended with a magnificent set of double doors. The wood was a dark walnut and there was a pattern engraved into the door inlayed with gold. Hermione felt a bit like Alice when she opened the doors and snuck into the library.

There were more books in the Malfoy's library than in Hogwarts, she was sure of that. Hermione took the stairs that lead to the second level of the library, ascending to the third floor when she discovered that there was one. The third floor appeared to be the oldest. The pages of the books that lined the shelves were yellowed with age, spines wrinkled with repeated use. Hermione fingered them cautiously, she read through a couple of the titles before she came across 'Origins of Magic'. It was rather a plain book, but there was something about it that reminded her of the feeling that she when she had done magic for the very first time.

She held on to the book and wandered deeper in the stack, coming upon a little reading nook. It was clear that it was once a window seat that someone had expanded. Glass stained windows surrounded a twin sized mattress. There were piles of soft welcoming cushions and delicate twinkle lights provided just enough light to read by.

Hermione climbed up, letting her uncomfortable shoes fall of her feet, her knees sunk into the mattress and when she crawled towards the window her gown kept getting caught under her. She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up for the fabric rested above her knees. Hermione peered out a clear shard of at the party below, it was in full swing beneath her. Guest filled the garden, frolicking near the flowers and dancing to the band the Malfoy's hired.

"You know I had a dream like this once." A voice drawled behind her.

Hermione turned around to face the voice that had tormented her for years. It appeared that that ferret had grown over the years, in appearance if nothing else. He had to have been at least a head taller than her, even in heels. His aristocratic features were even sharper now; he looked handsome in a removed sort of way, like a statue of an Adonis that a security guard would keep you from touching.

She stared at him for a moment longer than necessary before her sense came back to her and she remembered where she was.

"Sorry, I got lost. I'll be leaving now." Hermione moved towards the edge. Ready to slip her shoes on and get back to the party, but Malfoy blocked her exit. Kicking away her heels, he took a seat next to her.

"That's what one says when one walks into a person's private quarters thinking it was the loo Granger. You're a smarter girl than that." He said with a grin.

"Fine, Malfoy. I got bored and went into your library." She grumbled feeling both irritated and embarrassed. "So sorry to have contaminated your precious books. Now if you'll excuse me."

"No Granger I don't think I will."

"What? What is your problem Malfoy? I've already apologized – "

"No, dammit Granger, what I'm saying is that you can stay here if you want."

"What?" Hermione drew her brows together in confusion.

"It's not like you're going to take off with the silver, you were going to ready that book, right?" Malfoy said, stepping closer to her. "You can stay here and read it if you want. I – I wanted to get away from the party as well. We could read together if you like, not the same book of course, but perhaps in the same room."

Hermione was sure that the man in front of her had to be under a spell of some sort. Lots of things had happened since the end of the war, but things hadn't changed so much that she'd be comfortable hanging out with Draco Malfoy in his library reading books together under twinkle lights.

"Thank you Malfoy, but this, this was terribly inappropriate of me. I shouldn't have wandered in here during your mother's party. I just saw the books and got curious." She said softly.

Hermione moved to get up, but Malfoy grabbed her wrist and pulled her back on to the mattress. "Stay."

"I – "Hermione felt a jolt at his touch. It wasn't like getting a static shock, the jolt came from somewhere deeper, it made her tingly all over and she felt cold and warm at the same time. " Why?"

"We need to talk." Hermione didn't know what made her sit back down. Malfoy took it as a positive sign, letting his hands stroke her arm. "I - , I guess I should start this talk by apologizing. I was terrible to you. You were the exact opposite of what I was told a muggle-born should be and, I guess the thought frightened me."

"So, you resorted to calling me names and bulling me and my friends every chance you got?"

"Until the true consequences of our words came to light." Malfoy's face dropped and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. "The world You-Know-Who wanted, was one that I couldn't exist in. It took me a while to realize it, but once I did I like to think that I've made a change for the better."

Hermione pulled her arm away gently, he was giving her the chills. Malfoy let his hand drop to the mattress, suspiciously close to her hip. She thought that she could feel him stroking her though her dress with the tip of his thumb, but she was sure she was imagining it, right? "I, I'm thankful that your family changed sides during the war. You saved many lives."

"Are you saying that you'll forgive me?"

Hermione shrugged. "The past is the past. There's nothing to forgive. We all did things that we aren't proud of."

"Thank you." Malfoy smiled, making Hermione nervous. It didn't seem like a sincere smile, more like one he'd give when he's gotten his way. He leaned towards her and placed a hand on her back. She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"We should head back." There was less confidence in her voice than she wanted. She pulled on her shoes and stood up. Malfoy watched her move, a light smirk playing on his lips. He stood up after her. Putting a hand on her back he guided them back to the party. No one seemed to notice that they were missing so they were able to blend in with the crowd effortlessly. Hermione tried to smile and chat with her the fellow guests but she couldn't ignore Malfoy's eyes. His gaze burned into her skin until she couldn't take it anymore, leaving the manor as quietly as she could.