Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any part of the HP universe. This story is written only for the purpose of enjoyment and to satisfy my own twisted obsession with the HP characters. I am not making any type of profit off this story and no copyright infringement is intended against J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic, etc and whoever else is lucky enough to own part of the HP franchise.
The beautiful art on the banner of this story is by Shalou. No harm is intended to the artist. I just wanted to share your gorgeous artwork.
Warnings: none
Author's Note: This was written for the dramionedrabble community on LJ. The prompt words were manor, candle, and veela.
I hope you enjoy this short little ficlet, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Comments make my day.
A Malfoy Manor Excursion
: : :
"Come on—come on! You're going too slow, Granger," Draco complained. "I still have the entire west wing to show you."
Draco was pulling Hermione by the arm and dragging her through the never-ending corridors of Malfoy Manor.
"Uh huh. Considering we're moving in here soon, we'll have plenty of time for exploring the manor. Besides, we still have a few hours before your mother returns. Why don't you show me your old bedroom instead?" Hermione asked as she smiled coyly at Draco, hoping to knock some sense into her loony boyfriend. For some reason, being back at the manor made Draco all twitchy and aloof—even more so than usual. Obviously, he's up to something.
"Are you insane, Granger? What if Mother comes back early? What if the portraits inform her of our lecherous behaviour?" Draco cried, waving his arms around exasperatedly.
"I'm insane? You're the one who's acting ridiculous. And how long have we been together, Draco?"
"5 years."
"Right—5 glorious years, don't you think that's long enough for you to stop calling me Granger and call me Hermione, dear?" Hermione detached her arm from Draco's and glared at him resentfully.
"Um—well, but I don't wanna," Draco pouted, sounding suspiciously like her 5-year-old niece. "I like calling you, Granger. It's um—shorter."
Hermione sighed; she really didn't want to argue with her boyfriend, but sometimes he was impossible.
"Well, you can't always get what you want. I know that's a hard concept for you to grasp, but relationships are about compromise."
"Compromise?" Draco asked. He bit the corner of his bottom lip and scrunched his forehead in that adorable manner he always did when he was confused.
God, I'm such a push-over. One little smile or adorable look with those big grey eyes and I forgive him anything.
"Yes, compromise," Hermione replied, her tone softer and no longer angry. "The way we compromised when I agreed to move into the Manor temporarily until we find a new flat. And—the way you should have agreed to go trick-or-treating with me and my niece."
"Ohh." Draco's face fell and he attempted to hide behind his long fringe.
"Yeah."
"But Hermione," Draco whinged, "trick-or-treating is so Muggle."
Hermione glared at Draco again. This time it was virulent, cold; it easily could've rivalled one of Snape's venomous glares.
"Not that there's anything wrong with Muggles," Draco squeaked and averted his eyes to the floor. Good, at least he knows he's in trouble.
Hermione continued to just stare at Draco; she loved to watch him squirm once he realised he was in trouble.
"Fine," Draco sighed defeated. "Hermione darling, I would be honoured to go trick-or-treating with you and your niece—if you'll have me."
Hermione smiled at Draco content to have gotten her way.
"But I refuse to wear a costume. It's just preposterous to see grown adults parading around in costumes begging for sweets."
Hermione kissed him softly and whispered in his ear. "But you would be so cute in a costume, darling," she taunted.
"No."
"Fine. But we don't have to meet her 'til later tonight." She smiled at him brightly hoping that it would appease him.
"How about you show me one more thing before we go?" Hermione asked, holding out her arm for Draco, and knowing that letting Draco chatter about the history of the manor would brighten his mood. A good mood, no a fantastic mood, was going to be necessary to survive an evening with her 5-year-old niece and pureblood boyfriend who were both going trick-or-treating for the first time.
"Of course, my lady," Draco replied with a brilliant smile and an elaborate bow. God, he's such a toff. "There's something I want to show you." He took her arm in his and led her to another corridor happily prattling away.
: : : : : :
"Can I open my eyes now?"
Hermione was getting impatient now; for the past 10 minutes, Draco had asked her to close her eyes and had hauled her halfway around the manor.
"Yes, open them my sweet," Draco cooed, his stormy grey eyes glowing.
They were in a distant corridor now-an ancient passageway made of stone, marble, and completely dark. The only light came from a small white candle that Draco was cradling in his hands; he was gazing into the blaze, his eyes fixated on the tiny flame.
Hermione was startled; this was very unlike Draco and it was terrifying her more than she wanted to admit. She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke, "Draco honey, where are we? You're starting to scare me."
He finally stopped pulling her and paused in front of a large wooden door that had no markings on it, but still emitted a faint red glow. She could feel the strong, ancient magic resonating off the door; it was both exhilarating and horrifying breathing in a magic so dark and captivating.
"Scare you? Whatever gave you that impression?" He titled his head back and laughed manically; she wasn't sure if he was excited or lost in madness, but either way, it made her uncomfortable. After her many adventures as a schoolgirl, she decided that the unknown was not for her. The dark still gave her nightmares, and she knew better than to muddle around with dark magic. What was Draco playing at?
"Don't worry," Draco said leaning in close and placing a soft kiss on the back of her neck, "you'll love the surprise just let me take the wards down first."
Hermione felt herself relax slightly by her boyfriend's touch but not much. She watched Draco mutter a complex series of enchantments to open the wards and was fascinated by the ancient spell. Once Draco was finished chanting, he drew a few runic symbols on the door with his wand. Instantly, the glowing red light changed to a dark green and the door crept open.
Draco held the door open for her and motioned for her to go in first. Hermione was sceptical, but decided not to make a big fuss. Once inside, Draco clapped his hands and all the torches on the walls instantly illuminated the room.
"Welcome to the Malfoy Hall of Ancestors," Draco said proudly. "Every single Malfoy that hasn't been banished from the family has a portrait in this hall. It's one of my favourite places in the manor."
Hermione stared around at the endless array of portraits. All the Malfoys were the same; they were all pale, blond, and haughty. The portraits were all sneering at her and she was surprised that they weren't shouting at her as well. They must have some type of silencing spell on them, so that visitors don't have to deal with shrieking supercilious portraits.
"So—do you like it?"
She sighed softly. "Um-well. I can definitely see the family resemblance."
She couldn't tell Draco that she hated this eerie hall. Why would he ever think that she would like this kind of surprise? Yes, she thought he was attractive, but in no way did she want to spend her afternoon ogling a bunch of dead, sneering Malfoys. They were quite an unsightly bunch. Her boyfriend's idea of fun really was quite peculiar. Perhaps it's a pureblood trait.
"Oh yes, Malfoy blood is so pure that we all look alike," Draco answered smugly.
"Right."
It was unnerving being surrounded by so many pale haunted faces, but worst of all, it just didn't seem plausible. How could the Malfoys look so much alike for generations? That just wasn't possible; genetics would never allow it. The only wizarding families that inherited practically identical features are those who have mixed with magical creatures. But that wasn't the case with the pureblooded Malfoys. Or was it? Hermione studied the portraits again and realised that the resemblances were just too close.
She chuckled to herself. Although she could never tell Draco, mostly because he would never believe her, Hermione was sure that the Malfoy line was mixed with a small percentage of veela blood. It made perfect sense now—all those pale features and silvery blond hair. Oh, if only her little pureblooded boyfriend knew the truth about his ancestry? She could tell that he was still prattling on about some relative, but she had stopped paying attention hours ago.
"Hermione—are you even listening?"
"Hmmm? "
He grabbed her arm again and started dragging her. "Come on, there's one last place you must see. I saved the best for last."
Hermione pulled free from Draco's grasp. "No, we have to go," she insisted. "I promised Elizabeth and we're already late."
"But—you'll really like it."
"No, we have to leave."
Draco huffed and released his tight grip on her arm.
"Fine."
Hermione sighed and tried to disguise her relieved face. She knew that this tour had been exhilarating for Draco, but secretly she was ecstatic that the Malfoy Manor tour had finally ended.
"It's really too bad we ran out of time," Draco said cheekily as they were walking back to the manor entrance, a small smirk was forming on his lips.
"Why is that?"
"Because," Draco said casually, " the Hall of Ancestors leads to the grand library. I thought you would've appreciated that," Draco finished, flashing her a smug smile.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Grand library? The manor has a library?" Hermione squeaked. She could barely get the words out.
"Of course. It has several actually."
"Oh my gods! We have to go back."
"Now—now dear, we promised Elizabeth and we're already late." Draco's grey eyes were sparkling now, practically radiating victory.
"Hmmph." The utter nerve of him. Not mentioning the libraries.
"Besides, dear—you're the one who insisted we leave to celebrate an important Muggle tradition." He smiled at her again, his most innocent smile that of course she knew was complete bullshit.
"Right," Hermione replied frowning. "My idea. Muggle Halloween.. Thanks a lot, Malfoy."
"It was nothing my sweet."
~Fin
Author's note: Thanks for reading.