A/N: Last week I forgot to say thank you to my wonderful beta, Mamacita, so I'm rectifying that this week. Thank you also to everyone who is reading, I hope you are enjoying the story. Dx
Lucius hurried Hermione to the entrance, eager to leave the Ministry of Magic and get her back to Malfoy Manor before anyone else could challenge him. He was irked that she was so clearly unhappy about being consigned to him and his family. After all, they were offering her a life far superior to the one she'd had with her filthy Muggle parents. But Hermione was giving him the silent treatment and he didn't want to cause a scene in public. Hopefully, once she was back at the Manor she would see reason otherwise, there would be an argument and the girl would be made to see just how lucky she was.
'We'll Apparate once we get outside,' Lucius told her.
He smiled and joked with the guards at the entrance and allowed Hermione to exit in front of him, but as soon as they were outside he took hold of her arm, ignoring the look of disgust she shot him. His anger rose once more. How dare this obnoxious little Mudblood act as if his touch was an abomination! The girl should be honoured that he had deigned to touch her, disgusting as her blood status made her.
Lucius pulled her closer to him, more forcefully than was strictly necessary, then Disapparated, taking Hermione with him. A moment later they appeared in a large oak-panelled hallway with an impressive staircase in front of them, black and white tiles a chequerboard on the floor.
As he released Hermione, Lucius forced himself to calm down. He couldn't allow her bad attitude to infect his own or he would end up doing something regrettable. She was obviously tired and scared after her recent ordeal and would surely be more grateful to him once she'd had a chance to get settled into her new life and realised what doors he had just opened for her. After all, she was no longer to be considered a filthy little Mudblood. She was a member of the Malfoy family now and would be treated accordingly.
'Are you ready to drop?' Lucius asked solemnly. He studied Hermione attentively as she shook her head, still mute. 'Well, in that case, we'll wait for Narcissa to allocate you a bedroom. That way you'll know where you're sleeping and will be able to get settled in straight away. If I house you, you'll only have to move as I'm sure to put you in the wrong room.' He smiled disarmingly as if sharing a secret joke.
Hermione nodded her agreement but still didn't speak. Lucius frowned for a moment but decided not to say anything about her silence. He indicated a door ahead of them and gestured for Hermione to enter as he followed. She walked through the door and into a large and ornately decorated drawing room.
Narcissa Malfoy was sitting on an extremely old and obviously very expensive sofa. She was reading a book, but as Hermione and Lucius entered the room she closed it and placed it on a small table to her left and stared imperiously at the newcomers.
'Narcissa, this is Hermione Granger. I can't remember whether you've met her before but she's in Draco's year at school.'
The blonde woman's eyes narrowed menacingly as she stared disparagingly at Hermione but she didn't speak, obviously waiting for her husband to explain what a Mudblood was doing in their home.
'Unfortunately, Hermione's parents were killed in an attack by a group of Death Eaters earlier this evening,' Lucius continued blandly, giving no hint that he had been one of them. 'Hermione managed to escape but is now an orphan. Cornelius suggested that we might take her in and look after her — make her one of our family, so to speak — and I was happy to agree on both our behalves.'
Hermione thought Narcissa looked anything but happy at Lucius' announcement and wondered why he had told her that Fudge had asked him to take her in. That wasn't true as far as she knew, although it was just possible that the ex-Minister had made the request before they entered the room. Perhaps that was why Mr Weasley had already been arguing with them.
She felt herself cringe as Narcissa looked her up and down, assessing her in a way that made Hermione feel incredibly self-conscious.
'That was very good of you,' Narcissa replied eventually, talking as if Hermione wasn't there. 'Was there no one else who would take the girl?'
'Arthur Weasley did offer,' Lucius said. Hermione noticed his wife had a matching sneer to his own at Arthur's name. 'But of course, his home is completely unsuitable with all those children he already has to provide for. We have plenty of room here, and another mouth to feed isn't exactly going to break the bank.'
'She's a Mudblood, isn't she?' Narcissa asked coldly.
Hermione felt a dart of hatred leave her and head in the haughty woman's direction at the comment, but then she remembered she didn't want to be there anyway. She crossed her fingers and silently wished that Narcissa would refuse to allow her to stay and she would get to join her friends at the Burrow after all.
'She is, but she's also an exceptionally accomplished witch and extremely clever. She's top of all her classes at Hogwarts. She'll be good company for Draco, and with any luck, she might even inspire him to improve his grades,' Lucius explained.
Narcissa considered this for a couple of long, uncomfortable minutes while she continued to silently assess Hermione. Eventually, she stood up.
'Miss Granger, you wait in here. Lucius and I are just going outside to discuss this. We won't be long.' She gave Hermione a small, cold smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Hermione nodded her understanding. Lucius' behaviour was even more curious now, she thought, as she watched the couple disappear through the door. He had told Fudge that Narcissa would be happy to have her live with them, but from what she had seen so far she was fairly convinced that the opposite was true. Had he just assumed his wife would be happy for a Muggle-born to take up residence in their home or was there some more nefarious reason that he wanted to have control of her?
Fortunately, she didn't know anything about Harry's plans apart from the fact that he didn't intend to go back to Hogwarts, but that didn't mean Lucius wouldn't question her about them. She just hoped torture wouldn't be involved if questioning did take place. With a sudden sinking feeling that made her sigh, Hermione realised that maybe Lucius intended to kill her after all — now she was at Malfoy Manor no one could stop him. Maybe that was what this whole charade had been about.
But now that she had made it through several hours without her parents, Hermione no longer wished she had died with them and she really didn't want to find herself brought here just to be killed. She had to hope that the fact that others knew of her whereabouts would be enough to stop it from happening, and with any luck Fudge would visit the Manor soon so the Malfoys would have to show they were taking care of her properly.
For a moment she thought about going to the Burrow. It was just vaguely possible that Lucius would allow her to leave once she had settled in and shown willingness to be a part of their family, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. Hermione still wished she had been allowed to go home with Arthur, but now she was here she was just going to have to make the best of it, even if that meant playing happy families and being nice to Draco. She could do that . . . probably.
She sighed again and waited for Lucius and Narcissa to come back.
'What the hell did you bring her here for?' Narcissa hissed. She glared at Lucius her arms crossed in anger.
Lucius stared back coolly as he answered, 'I told you, Narcissa, Cornelius asked if we would take her in. As the only choices were the Weasleys or us, I didn't really have much choice but to agree, especially as it would have seemed suspicious if I had refused to help. Anyway, this will give us another tick in the box with the new Minister for Magic. Cornelius was as pleased as punch that I stepped up so quickly and has assured me he'll put in a good word with Scrimgeour.'
'And what are we supposed to do with her?' Narcissa asked. 'She looks frightful. There's no way we could possibly cover up what she is with the way she's dressed. And what in Merlin's name is wrong with her hair? It looks like a tangled bush.'
'Hermione is supposed to be integrating into our family, Narcissa,' Lucius told her calmly. 'You can take her shopping and mould her into something more to your liking. I thought you might like that — a new project that involves shopping.'
'But why do you want her here?' Narcissa asked as she carefully studied her husband.
Lucius shrugged. 'She's a close friend of Potter's, and from what I understand she's the brains of the outfit. He's not likely to get very far without her planning everything. She might even be a source of valuable information if we can get her to talk. She knows about the Order of the Phoenix and its members and she must know what Potter is planning.'
'And?' Narcissa added shrewdly.
'And?' Lucius repeated looking confused.
'Oh, come on, Lucius, you don't think I don't know why you brought her here.' Narcissa's voice was sharp now.
Lucius regarded his wife blankly. 'I've no idea what you're talking about, Narcissa.'
Narcissa stared at him for several seconds as she thought, her eyes narrowed, and a malicious smile finally graced her thin lips.
'All right, she can stay. But she'll be housed in your wing of the Manor, not mine. I want as little to do with her as possible, although I will take her shopping to make sure she's properly attired. She can't possibly keep wearing those awful Muggle clothes if she's going to stay here for any length of time and her hair obviously needs considerable work to get it under control.' She thought for a moment then added, 'Actually, I suppose this could be a good thing. I mean, I won't need to worry about you finding your way to my door any longer, will I, Lucius? Just make sure Draco doesn't see or hear anything he shouldn't.'
'I don't think you need to worry about Draco, and I've no idea what you're insinuating, Narcissa. I can assure you I have the purest of intentions with regards to Hermione.'
Narcissa snorted with laughter. 'Of course you do, Lucius. I don't suppose you noticed for one minute what an attractive young woman she is . . . and I do mean young.'
'I'm going to pretend you didn't say that,' Lucius retorted coldly.
Narcissa gave him a look of disbelief, but instead of replying she clicked her fingers and summoned a house-elf.
'Prepare the blue room in the West Wing. Our new arrival will be staying . . . indefinitely,' she told it.
Narcissa turned back to Lucius. 'Did the Mudblood bring anything with her?'
Lucius shook his head. 'Whoever got her out did so just in time. As I understand it, she was Apparated to the Ministry of Magic just seconds before she would have been killed.'
'Well, that really was fortunate, wasn't it?' Narcissa replied sardonically. Staring intently at her husband she added, 'I expect the Mudblood will be extremely grateful to whoever it was who saved her life so dramatically.'
She turned on her heel and stalked back to the drawing room without waiting for Lucius.
Hermione was still standing in the middle of the room even though she was completely shattered, unable to decide whether sitting down would be considered impolite. She looked worriedly at Narcissa as she entered; the older woman's face was still cold and gave nothing away. Lucius followed, looking relaxed, so Hermione assumed he had managed to convince his wife that she should stay.
'Welcome to our family, Hermione,' Narcissa said. She tried to smile but wasn't particularly successful although her voice was slightly less frosty. 'A house-elf is just getting a room ready for you. I'm sure you must be exhausted after the night you've had and could do with a good sleep.'
'I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep,' Hermione admitted quietly. Now she knew there was no chance of escape she thought she might as well be honest. 'I keep seeing the fighting — the flashes of light from the spells.' She felt tears spring to her eyes as her voice faltered.
'Of course, you've been through quite an ordeal today,' Narcissa said, her voice suddenly much warmer. She moved closer to Hermione. 'Would you like a hot drink before you go to bed? We could give you a potion to help you sleep, too, if you wish it.'
Hermione blinked back the tears. 'I think I just want to go to bed.'
Narcissa considered for a moment, then took hold of Hermione's hand and led her to the sofa, indicating she should sit.
'Lucius, get Hermione a brandy. She obviously needs something to calm her nerves before she goes to bed,' she ordered. She sat down next to Hermione, still holding her hand as she studied her fixedly.
Lucius made his way to a dresser on the far side of the room and opened a door to reveal an extremely well-stocked drinks cabinet. He selected a cut-glass decanter from a group of several on a silver tray, pulling the stopper from it before choosing three brandy snifters. He poured a decent measure into each, stoppered the decanter and returned it to the tray then picked up the glasses and carried them over to the sofa. He handed Narcissa a glass, then held out the second to Hermione. She looked at it for a moment, then accepted it without a word.
Holding his own glass, Lucius went to sit in an armchair and watched his wife as she talked quietly to Hermione, slowing drawing out of her what she had experienced at the hands of the Death Eaters. He took a sip of his brandy. It was a good one although not his best, obviously. There was no point in wasting that on Hermione as she wouldn't appreciate it; he had watched her take a sip and grimace before telling Narcissa about the attack on her family. Interestingly, Narcissa seemed to be both concerned and rather more sympathetic than he would have expected considering Hermione's blood status and the way she had reacted to his suggestion that she stay with them. He was just glad he had managed to get Hermione away in time.
Lucius had found out relatively late that Hermione and her family had been targeted for execution. By the time he had arrived at her house, her parents were already dead and a full-scale battle was taking place between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix, who had obviously been keeping an eye on Hermione's family in anticipation of just such an attack. He had entered the Granger house under the guise of his Death Eater robes, located Hermione, and with the girl about to be killed at any moment had removed his robes to ensure he was presentable at the Ministry of Magic, then whisked her away from certain death to safety and into his custody. As he Apparated Hermione away to the Ministry, Lucius had promised her he would look after her, and he meant it.
Despite Narcissa's earlier digs, the fact that she was slowly warming to Hermione meant that she, too, had realised the potential the girl held. While it was true she was a Mudblood she was also an extremely talented witch, the strongest in years if what he had heard from colleagues was true, and she easily beat Draco in every class they took together. As far as Lucius could see, the benefits of Hermione becoming a Malfoy far outweighed the circumstance of her birth, and it was going to happen whatever his wife and son thought of the matter.
Although Lucius believed strongly in Pure-blood supremacy he also subscribed, as had every previous Malfoy, to the idea of making the family as strong as possible in any way available to them. Hermione becoming a member of the family would definitely increase their strength, and he was sure that once Draco accepted that she was to be treated as his sister, Hermione would then help to increase both his scores and his abilities as she would be honour-bound to help the family in any way she could. This also had the added benefit that she would no longer be able to help Potter with whatever it was he was planning.
Narcissa's less than subtle suggestion about his true motive for bringing Hermione to the Manor still stung a little, but she was right about the girl being quite attractive. At least if he decided in the future that there was something to be gained by being a little more affectionate towards Hermione he wouldn't come up against any opposition from his wife.
As Lucius sipped his brandy he realised that as long as he wasn't blatant in his actions he could get away with anything behind the closed doors of Malfoy Manor.
Hermione was surprised that after her initial coldness on the night she arrived at Malfoy Manor, Narcissa became far friendlier towards her in the following days. It seemed she had, indeed, accepted that Hermione would become part of their family and she treated her with kindness and even something bordering on respect once she discovered Hermione's intelligence was every bit as high as Lucius had suggested.
The acceptance was complete once she took Hermione shopping to get some clothes that better fitted her new position. The shopping trip was something of a trial as Narcissa seemed intent on dressing Hermione like some eighteenth-century witch allowing her nothing that would let her move around in the Muggle world without suspicion.
Eventually, after agreeing to some of the more preposterous outfits and with a lot of begging to look like a normal teenager, Hermione was finally allocated some more modern albeit extremely expensive clothing too, although she hadn't yet been bought anything to do with school. Apparently, that requirement was so extensive it was going to take another dedicated trip to Diagon Alley nearer the end of the school holidays.
Hermione understood, as had been drummed into her almost incessantly by both Narcissa and Lucius since she was accepted into the family, that as a Malfoy she had certain standards she was expected to uphold, and the sumptuous fabrics and eye-catching outfits were part of who they were.
She wasn't sure she would ever be able to match their attitudes nor was she sure she wanted to, because she wasn't used to the vast amount of wealth that the Malfoys all took for granted, but it was nice to not have to count her money before buying something and to know that anything magical she was interested in would automatically be found favourable.
The bedroom she had been allocated was a nice one, too, already decorated in her favourite colour even though Narcissa couldn't possibly have known that at the time she had assigned it to her. It was far larger than her old bedroom, with a comfortable four-poster bed that reminded her of her bed at Hogwarts, and gave her a decent view over the wide expanse of lawn that led down towards the ornamental lake with its impressive fountain.
The shopping trip allowed Hermione to add a few touches of her own to the décor as well as fill the wardrobes. There were books and stationery and even a few knick-knacks that made the bedroom seem less like a guest room and more like home.
Hermione wished she could have brought some of her belongings from her old life to really help her settle in, but she suspected Narcissa would be unhappy about her bringing Muggle-world items into the Manor and Lucius would be disappointed that she wasn't trying her hardest to fit in and become a Malfoy.
Having said that, Hermione had no desire to ever return to the house where her parents had died, knowing the pain of being in the place would be unbearable. The Ministry had, somehow, sorted out the attack with the Muggle police, covering up the truth of what had really happened, and Lucius had taken on the task of arranging for all their belongings to be put into storage so Hermione could go through them once she recovered enough to tackle it. She knew he had sorted out the financial side of things, too, putting the house up for sale and paying off the dental staff who had worked for her mum and dad.
Lucius had — and for this, Hermione was extremely grateful — paid for her parents to have a decent but quiet funeral which he and Narcissa had attended with Hermione, supporting her in her grief. She was grateful to her guardians for allowing her to say a final goodbye without argument, and they were solemn and respectful despite her parents having been Muggles.
That was the first time Hermione wondered whether the family weren't as bad as they had always been painted.
As she inspected herself in the tall mirror that took up one corner of the room, currently dressed in a stunning pale blue velvet day robe, her hair held in the elaborate coiffure created by Narcissa's hairdresser, Hermione had to admit that the new clothes and hairstyle did make her look like one of the family. If someone who didn't know her met her now they would never know she wasn't a Malfoy except for the colour of her hair.
For a moment her heart sank, upset at the loss of her true identity and remembrance of her parents making her feel tearful again, but she brushed it aside quickly. She had no choice now but to try to fit in. She hoped she was doing a good job, although she still didn't think Lucius was going to let her go to the Burrow anytime soon regardless of how well she did. Hermione had mentioned it to him a couple of times but his response was always the same — that she needed time to become fully settled into the family and that they were giving her time to grieve, which she could better do on her own rather than surrounded by well-meaning but useless friends.
Lucius was apparently, keen to reiterate his hope that she would assist Draco in increasing his productivity at school, and to that end, he had introduced her to the family library on the morning following her incarceration at the Manor.
It had taken Hermione's breath away.
The room was a wonder; full to the brim with the most ancient and wonderful-smelling books together with large leather armchairs just perfect for curling up and reading. She had longed to stay there and peruse the shelves at length to see what treasures awaited her, but although Lucius was clearly pleased by her interest he was also eager to show her the rest of the house and its grounds, presumably to convince her that she wasn't trapped in some old mausoleum as Alexa had hinted.
Hermione knew from what she had seen of the magnificent house and equally impressive gardens so far that most people would consider her extremely fortunate to have landed such a wealthy family to adopt her, but she still couldn't help but wish she could be at the Burrow with her friends. Fine clothes and beautiful furnishings didn't make up for everything she had lost, nor did Narcissa and Lucius take the place of her parents, however much Lucius might desire that to be the case or however friendly they were towards her. But getting to spend time in that amazing library had done a lot to help Hermione settle in.
Not everyone was so happy about Hermione's installation at Malfoy Manor, though. Draco had been furious when he woke the morning following her arrival to discover that his worst enemy was now living at his home — and worse still, that she was to be treated as a member of the family rather than as the filthy little Mudblood he had always regarded her as.
Draco had been informed in no uncertain terms that Hermione's blood status was not to be mentioned at any time, especially when there were people outside the family present, and that she was now, for all intents and purposes, his sister. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he had railed at what he perceived to be a grave injustice.
Hermione had always thought Draco a spoiled and ungrateful brat, but even she was astonished at the tantrum he threw in the aftermath of the discussion at the breakfast table, although Lucius and Narcissa's failure to punish him for it explained much.
Once he realised that Hermione was not going to be leaving, whatever he threatened or did, Draco decided to simply ignore her, no longer acknowledging her presence at all. Hermione was happy with this as it meant she didn't have to deal with the extra stress that arguing with the boy would have brought and he wasn't taunting her about the death of her parents as she had expected, knowing his capacity to hurt whenever he could.
But Lucius was still determined that Hermione would aid Draco in bettering himself and forced them into joint activities that neither of them wanted to do in an attempt to bridge the gap between them.
Hermione sighed. She knew Lucius was just trying to do the best he could even though she still didn't understand why. But it was hard when Draco was such an unlikeable person and his behaviour was so aggressive. The truth was that because their upbringings had been so different there was little to connect them except the hatred and disdain that had been between them for the previous six years.
She couldn't ride and had no interest in hunting or any of the other cruel sports Draco seemed to enjoy, and he wasn't interested in reading or even spending time in the library. Hermione still remembered how terrified she had been the first time she was made to go horseback riding, and it had given Draco the opportunity to take the piss out of her mercilessly.
But she persevered because she had no choice — even Narcissa was a decent rider — and she could now sit on a horse while it was moving without being scared that she would fall off, although she still didn't like horses much. Hermione supposed riding was like everything else she had to do in this new life: she just had to get used to it.
At least she was being treated as a member of the family, not imprisoned in the cellar or something, and despite his initial hatred Draco was finally showing some small signs of getting used to the way things were now she was part of the family. A couple of times now she had glimpsed a different side to him and realised that with yet more perseverance on her part she might even be able to get along with him in a civil manner although she doubted they would ever be able to reach the state of siblinghood that Lucius seemed to crave for them.
Hermione glanced at her watch. She really needed to get downstairs before someone had to come and find her. Good timekeeping was one of the many things the Malfoys prided themselves on; being tardy would not go down well with her adopted family, especially when they were expecting a guest.
Cornelius Fudge was coming to tea and Lucius was eager to show the ex-Minister for Magic just how well Hermione had slotted into their family. She was happy to let him do this as they had been far kinder and made her feel more welcome than she had ever expected. But she still planned to remind Fudge about his promise that she could go to the Burrow, in hopes that he would then convince Lucius to let her go.
It had been extremely difficult to accumulate anything that might be useful to her once she was back with Harry and Ron and they were off on their Horcrux hunt without drawing attention to what she was doing, but Hermione knew she had to be ready in case she did get the release she so desired and had managed to stash away a few small items in preparation for her departure.
She was aware that Lucius would be extremely angry with her when she went off with her friends rather than back to Hogwarts, and there was a tiny part of her that felt a bit guilty about it considering the kindness she had been shown by him and Narcissa since her parents' death. But helping Harry defeat Voldemort was the most important thing she would ever do in her life, and also she really wanted to see Ron again. Harry, too, but mainly she wanted to see Ron.
Hermione had imagined so many times now her tall, red-haired friend wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly as he comforted her in her grief over the death of her parents. It had been a comforting dream when she first arrived at Malfoy Manor, but as time passed she began to realise that it was far more than friendship she was feeling for and wanted from Ron.
She fancied him like mad and had done for a long time, and she desperately wanted to be his girlfriend and for him to want her just as much in return. So far those feelings hadn't emerged on Ron's side except for on that one occasion at the Yule Ball in their fourth year when she had gone to the Ball with Viktor Krum, with whom she still occasionally kept in touch. This had brought out Ron's jealousy but it had never gone any further. However, it was possible that her current predicament could be the catalyst that was needed to transition Ron from a concerned friend into the boyfriend that she had for so long hoped he would be. All she needed was to get Lucius' agreement to leave Malfoy Manor.
Hermione had wished that she might be released in time for Bill and Fleur's wedding, which was only just over a week away now. That was looking extremely doubtful unless Fudge stepped in and reminded Lucius of his promise. She wasn't holding her breath on that, though, as the ex-Minister for Magic seemed far more easily swayed by Lucius' opinions than he should have been. Just the merest hint from her guardian that she should remain with them would no doubt be warmly greeted by Fudge.
She couldn't tell the Malfoys about the wedding, either, knowing they wouldn't understand her desire to attend. She didn't want to be the cause of any trouble being visited upon the Weasleys or the Delacours, who were currently staying with them, especially as Harry had to be hiding there by now, too, and needed to remain a secret. Hermione could just imagine Lucius sending the Death Eaters to attack the Burrow and break up the wedding party just to be vindictive if he knew it was taking place, knowing his hatred for Arthur and his family. It was better for everyone if she forgot all about her friends for the time being and tried wholeheartedly to embrace her new family instead.
Ron would have to remain a boyfriend only in her mind until she could find a way to join him and Harry, and that probably wasn't going to happen until after she returned to Hogwarts. Even then, it was going to be a difficult task to escape, especially if Lucius set Draco to keep watch over her as she half expected him to do. But at least there were ways out of Hogwarts. There was no way out of Malfoy Manor except with an armed guard.
She brushed down her dress, took a final look in the mirror, then left the room to go and find the rest of the family in readiness for Cornelius Fudge's visit.