"I don't know why you are making me do this," Hermione said with a sniff. "The shoes I have on are perfectly fine."
Draco glanced down at the white flats he had watched his girlfriend slip on just before running out of her muggle-London flat. Hermione had crawled through her closet flinging random clothing aside to find the relatively new and mostly clean shoes. Draco grimaced as he noticed a smudge on one of the toes. She must have dirtied them as they traipsed through London to find the nearest apparition point. He knew Hermione thought the shoes were perfectly acceptable for a Saturday afternoon tea party. She had told him that they were "youthful, comfortable, and complimented her floral sundress." But Draco knew that acceptable wasn't good enough.
"Yes, yes, Granger," replied Draco, "but tea with Narcissa Malfoy is an event for which one must wear shoes that are better than fine. For tea with my mother, one's shoes must be perfect."
Draco knew all too well about Narcissa's excessive judgment of humanity based on their choice of shoes. The matriarch of the Malfoy had, through both pureblood genetics and lengthy tutorials, passed along impeccable taste and extensive shoe knowledge to her sole prodigy. For Merlin's sake, the woman had Shoe Rules and she had not been afraid to impart them with regularity during Draco's childhood!
Narcissa had shown more than a little disdain when she entered Malfoy Manor's library one sunny, summer afternoon and found a 7-year-old Draco propping his stinky, athletic-shoe clad feet upon a cognac leather ottoman. With a frown she said, "Rule #4, Draco dear… One should always wear the appropriate shoes for the event. While you'll never see me in a pair of trainers, you may wear them for exercise. Outside. But they are definitely not appropriate inside our home. Kindly find a pair of loafers to wear while you read."
Ten years later Narcissa's disdain was immeasurable as the Dark Lord took possession of her residence. Happy moments were few and far between, but on occasion she had escaped Malfoy Manor and snuck into her favorite upscale wizarding boutiques for a few cheerful moments of retail therapy. Although it was far from his favorite pastime, Draco often found himself joining his mother and wandering behind her. Truth be told, he enjoyed the simple diversion. With the world around them crumbling, the pair dared to find a few moments of normalcy while shoe shopping. Draco would watch Narcissa gaze at red leather peep-toes or black suede pointy-toed boots and then listened as she imparted nuggets of shoe wisdom. "Rule #13, darling… Never buy a chintzy shoe. Your shoes make a statement. They should always be the most expensive item in your wardrobe. It would never do for people to forget your pureblood status."
Hoping to create memories at Malfoy Manor that put the dark times behind them, Narcissa was throwing what she described as a "little tea party." But Draco knew better – nothing Narcissa Malfoy touched was "little." Draco imagined flower arrangements that would dwarf a man, at least a dozen imported tea types served in hand painted bone china cups, and a gaggle of hoity-toity witches and wizards wandering through Narcissa's rose garden.
In anticipation of the afternoon's soiree, Draco had methodically coordinated his tea party ensemble. His Slytherin green driving moccasins perfectly enhanced his navy trousers, starched shirt, and khaki linen robes. Miraculously, Granger's hastily clad navy blue and white floral robes appeared to coordinate with Draco's ensemble while her fascinator sat at a jaunty angle on top of her magically restrained chestnut curls. They were quite the fashionable couple. But those shoes… Hermione's white flats simply would not do at Narcissa Malfoy's tea party.
Something, thought Draco Malfoy, had to be done about those shoes.